Unseen Danger
by Wild Roses
Summary: HPYYH, Non-yaoi. Kurama and Yusuke are sent to Hogwarts to protect the school, Voldemort has gotten more powerful than ever, and Kurama and Shizuru have secrets even Dumbledore doesn't know about.
1. Mission: Magic?

-Chapter One, Mission...Magic?-  
  
"I can't believe this mission is a SCHOOL! The –one thing- I really hate, and Koenma sends me there..."  
  
"Yusuke, calm yourself," Kurama lowered his voice so no one could eavesdrop on the conversation, "You'll blow our cover."  
  
Yusuke snorted and glanced out the window. Colors and shapes whirled by, but Yusuke could make out every single tree, shrub and rock out there.  
  
"Easy for you say," he muttered, "You're a teacher."  
  
Kurama shrugged and resumed his reading of Advanced Practical Defense. He occasionally muttered things under his breath that Yusuke couldn't make out.  
  
Suddenly, the two heard muffled voices outside their compartment:  
  
"We'll find one..."  
  
"Can't believe you didn't save us seats."  
  
"It wasn't my fault, Ron..."  
  
The door of their compartment was roughly opened, revealing three teenagers. A girl with bushy brown hair, a boy with untidy black hair and green eyes, and a lanky redheaded boy.  
  
All three looked mildly surprised to see the compartment was partially full.  
  
"Oh...err, you mind if we sit here?" the black-haired boy asked.  
  
"No. There's plenty of room," Kurama said. Yusuke (who'd been sitting by the window across from Kurama) sat beside the fox so the three wizards could sit together.  
  
"You new students?" Ron asked. The redhead's accent was really thick, and really weird...he could tell it was foreign.  
  
Kurama concluded that he wouldn't get to read during this ride, so he shut his book.  
  
"Yeah, I'm a Japanese transfer student, Urameshi Yusuke," Yusuke said, in perfect English (though his thick Japanese accent was obvious).  
  
All three of the wizards now turned their gaze to Kurama. "I am Yusuke's uncle, Minamino Shuichi...your Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher."  
  
It was the cover Koenma had suggested: Yusuke was Kurama's nephew, and both were to use their human names (not like Yusuke had a non-human name, though). Kurama's older sister was Atsuko, and Yusuke was her son.  
  
Hermione double-blinked. "Uh...aren't you a bit...young?"  
  
Kurama shook his head, "Not really. Sixteen."  
  
Yusuke couldn't help but grin in amusement at the looks on Harry, Ron and Hermione's faces. Obviously, sixteen was extremely young in this country, but Koenma had told them that Japanese wizards were fully qualified at fifteen.  
  
"You said your name was Urameshi, right?" Harry asked, with a glance at Yusuke.  
  
Yusuke double-blinked, "No. My first name is Yusuke..."  
  
"But-"  
  
Kurama cut him off, "My apologies. In Japan, you introduce your family name first."  
  
"Oh," Harry said.  
  
"So. You know our names. Who're you guys?" Yusuke asked.  
  
Harry hesitated. He didn't want them goggling at his scar, or asking questions about Voldemort...he didn't want to think about that part of him until he had to...whenever he did, he remembered Sirius...  
  
His friends, however, had no such impediments.  
  
"Ron Weasley."  
  
"Hermione Granger."  
  
Kurama and Yusuke were now looking expectantly at Harry, who finally relented, "Harry Potter."  
  
Kurama and Yusuke simply nodded.  
  
Harry double-blinked, completely dumbfounded. Surely even the Japanese had heard of the Dark Lord? His terrorizing...murdering...the man whose name most wizards dare not speak...  
  
Yusuke paused, gave Harry and odd glance, then spoke, "Hey, you're that kid who that weirdo He-who-cannot-be-spoken of or whatever guy tried to kill?"  
  
Harry nodded. The question didn't make him uncomfortable...Yusuke had delivered it in such a casual way.  
  
"What was his name again?"  
  
Kurama sweatdropped and shook his head. "I believe it was Voldemort..."  
  
"Oh, yeah, right! Voldemort. Feh. Stupid sounding name if you ask me..."  
  
Ron flinched every time the Dark Lord's name was mentioned...but was completely dumbstruck by these two. "You say his name?"  
  
"Of course," Kurama said, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world, "Why wouldn't we? There is nothing to be feared in a name."  
  
Ron just shook his head. Not even Sirius went that far to disrespect Voldemort...and he wasn't one to keep his opinion to himself. But these two, they were making fun of him!  
  
"Oh!" Hermione said suddenly, breaking the short silence, "We'll be there in ten minutes...we should get changed!"  
  
Hermione grabbed her black wizard's robes and went to change in a different compartment. Kurama also left. He was already clothed in a long, flowing black robe, with a deep red sash tied around his waist. The sleeves were wrist-length and kimono-style, and he lacked the pointed wizard's hat most wore. He simply tied his crimson hair back in a low ponytail at the nape of his neck.  
  
--  
  
Ten minutes later, everyone was changed.  
  
The train came to a gradual stop at Hogsmeade station and all the students spilled out of the train, looking like black liquid in their black robes and hats.  
  
--  
  
"They've been tamed?" Kurama muttered, gently stroking the glistening black hide of one of the skeletal horses that pulled the Hogwarts carriages (a/n: I forget what they're called...anyone know?).  
  
"Wow...those things are weird," Yusuke raised a black eyebrow at the odd creatures.  
  
"You can see them?" Harry asked, bewildered.  
  
"-You- can see them?" Kurama glanced at Harry.  
  
"Yeah..."  
  
"What's so amazing about being able to see'em, Shuichi?" Yusuke asked.  
  
"You can only see them if you've seen death," Kurama said darkly. He hastily took a seat in the carriage.  
  
Yusuke, Hermione and Ron follow the fox, and immediately the skeletal horses take off at a quick trot.  
  
-End Chapter-  
  
For some reason, this chapter...meh. -- I don't like it. But the chapters to come will get better! 


	2. The Night Before

Yusuke whistled as the many towers and turrets of Hogwarts came into view. The Thestrals trotted in front, tossing their dragonish heads and swishing their black tails imposingly.  
  
"Mildly impressive," Kurama commented tonelessly. The Palace of Makai was a much more grand place, at least twice the size, with some walls sheeted with pure sheets of gold and other metals only found in the Makai.  
  
Of course, he also lost Kuronue there...  
  
Pushing that horrible memory out of his mind, the fox carefully studied the castle. He looked for entrances, walkways, anything that would provide access to the inside.  
  
-Flashback-  
  
"Normally we wouldn't mess with human affairs. But this has become much bigger than that! Dementors are flocking from the Makai to this Voldemort's aid. Only powerful demons like you and Kurama could take care of a large army. Hiei and Mukuro are working on hindering the dementors, so we won't be overrun too quickly. This boy, Harry Potter, he's destined to kill Voldemort. But with this new aid, he'll need help getting to that point! Your job is to keep dementors as far away from the castle as possible...and any other evil creatures, of course. If you don't, they could go on soul-sucking frenzies," Koenma said this all very quickly before sending the detectives on their way.  
  
-End flashback-  
  
The bizarre creatures come to an abrupt halt in front of the castle. The students hop out of the carriages, and loud chatting from the students buzz in everyone's ears. Several waved their wands carelessly, causing sparks to fly into the air.  
  
Kurama snorted and pushed his way through the crowd to the offending students, and Yusuke distinctly heard his calm voice gain a tone of coldness when he spoke. From what he gathered, they didn't believe him:  
  
"Oh REALLY? You're a professor? You shouldn't even be out of school!"  
  
"Would you mind my asking what house you're in?" Yusuke grinned. The kid was in for it now.  
  
"Slytherin."  
  
"Ten points from Slytherin for mouthing off."  
  
"What?! I don't even believe-"  
  
"Twenty."  
  
The kid shut up and the crowd filed into the castle.  
  
Yusuke's eyebrows shoot up at the grand room. It was enormous! Thousands of candles hovered above the tables, casting the huge room into bright, pleasant light. The House tables were large enough to seat every student, including any new ones, and Yusuke noticed bright golden plates. Empty of food, but he guessed that would be taken care of soon enough.  
  
What impressed him most was the ceiling. It reflected the clear night sky. Clusters of brightly twinkling stars shone in the velvety black, making one feel like they were dining under the stars.  
  
Kurama walked along the edges of the room until he got to the High Table. He took the only empty seat, on Dumbledore's left side, and muttered an apology for being late.  
  
Professor McGonagall stood up and disappeared into a side closet. A moment later she came out carrying a three-legged stool and a wizard's hat that looked ready to fall apart.  
  
A wide rip at the brim split open, and the hat burst into song. It sang about the four Houses, how they should be unified, not competing against one another, because certain "foes" had gotten stronger. (a/n: you expected me to come up with a clever song? I ain't that creative...)  
  
"Woa...a frickin' HAT just sang!" Yusuke muttered, raising a black eyebrow.  
  
"First, the Japanese transfer student...err..." Professor McGonagall glanced at Kurama, who muttered the correct pronunciation, "Ah, Urameshi, Yusuke."  
  
Yusuke strode up to the stool and sat down, with the air of someone walking into their own house. He noticed several of the new first years looked ready to pass out. Please, this was supposed to be nerve-wracking? Yeah, try watching one of your best friends kill a child...try saving the world and fighting for your life on a regular basis...then we'll talk about nerve- wracking.  
  
McGonagall placed the hat on Yusuke's head. It barely brushed his eyebrows.  
  
/My goodness...you'll be hard to place...there's something odd about you, you know/  
  
/What the hell...you can talk...in my head!/  
  
/Yes, now that we've established that...where to put you.../  
  
/Here's a hint: I ain't smart, hard working or evil and cunning. Just cut to the chase and stick me in Gryffindor, won't ya?/  
  
He'd heard about the Houses on the train ride.  
  
/Alright then.../  
  
Out loud the hat yelled: "GRYFFINDOR!"  
  
Triumphant smirk firmly in place, Yusuke took a seat at the Gryffindor table beside Harry, Ron and Hermione, who'd been waving at him.  
  
"I'm slightly disturbed I just had a conversation with a hat, but oh well."  
  
Luckily the line of new students to be sorted was short, so no one had to wait long for the food.  
  
Or so they thought.  
  
Dumbledore stood up to make the normal announcements (a/n: it is sorting, announcements, food...right? right! ). Several students groaned, but either the old man ignored them, or didn't hear.  
  
"First of all, I would like to remind you all that the Forbidden Forest, as always, is out of bounds. I would also like to welcome your new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher, Mr. Shuichi Minamino," Kurama nodded slightly, and distinctly saw several girls swooning, "That is all. Now, for the feast!"  
  
And the empty golden plates suddenly blossomed with food. All of which was foreign to Yusuke. He took tips from Ron as to what tasted the best, but didn't try a lot of it.  
  
--  
  
Kurama was surprised at how much meat was on the table. It was extremely expensive in Japan, so his family rarely got any, except for fish, which was in abundance.  
  
He didn't touch the wine. It didn't smell enough like sake, and he did not want to overdo it. Kurama knew how much of the Japanese wine he could drink before he got a little tipsy, but with this foreign beverage, he didn't take any chances.  
  
He decided to leave early, because his first class was at 9'oclock the following morning, "Excuse me, headmaster, but I believe I should go prepare for my class tomorrow."  
  
He got a nod from the headmaster, and left.  
  
--  
  
After dessert, everyone was thoroughly stuffed and ready for bed. Yusuke followed Ron and Hermione up to the Gryffindor common room. The moving staircases didn't impress him, but he got a kick out of several walls that were "pretending" to be doors. The rest of the castle was just as grand as the dining hall, with paintings that....  
  
Moved?! Wait a minute...  
  
"What the heck..." he paused to inspect a portrait of a wolfhound snoozing on a thick cushion. It opened one eye blearily, then suddenly let loose with loud, unrelenting barks.  
  
"This place is weird...just....weird..."  
  
He quickened his pace to catch up with the rest.  
  
--  
  
Kurama was rather pleased to find his luggage had been brought to his office off the train.  
  
He shook his head slightly at the design, one that the last professor must've left. Flowers...lace...sure, he had nothing against flowers, but this was just too much. He whipped out his wand.  
  
This wand had a special connection to the fox. It contained one of his own silver fox hairs, because none of the wands that Ollivander man showed him were powerful enough to handle his energy. Much to the man's dismay, he'd accidentally destroyed several just by waving them around. So eventually he had to get one custom made by a Japanese wand maker. His wand was fourteen inches long, slender, and made of wood from the Japanese cherry tree.  
  
Muttering spells, he brandished the wand at every flower lace curtain, every vase of flowers, every flower lace tablecloth covering the desks...it's safe to say he got rid of it all.  
  
--  
  
After getting the "common room tour" from Ron and Harry (Hermione was in bed already), Yusuke walked into the fifth year's dormitory.  
  
He yawned and quickly changed into his pajamas – blue pants – and crawled into bed, pulling the curtains around him, tuning out the late-night chatter around him.  
  
-End Chapter-  
  
Ok, that was a little better! XD Next chapter the fun starts...classes, etc...  
  
And for all who are wondering: Kuwabara will not be making an appearance. I do not like him, and he's too stupid to be able to pull off something like this. And as I mentioned in this chapter, Hiei is staving off dementors in Makai with Mukuro. Botan might make a few appearances, though. I'll try to fit Hiei in a few places. 


	3. The Threat: Part One

-Chapter Three, A Threat: Part One-  
  
Everyone silently filed into the DADA classroom and took their seats as the bell rang. No one knew what to expect from this teacher, but the Slytherins seemed highly amused someone so young was teaching a class. It was written all over their faces.  
  
The Gryffindors, on the other hand, decided to play it smart and wait till they found out what made this teacher tick. They also weren't all that happy about having to take these classes with the Slytherins.  
  
Harry, Ron and Hermione, however, weren't apprehensive at all. Professor Minamino had seemed very nice on the train, but they missed his little lecture to the Slytherin the night before. They didn't think he'd be very stern, but all of them sensed something very odd around him...something almost...like power. They somehow knew this guy had skill, and had several plans ready in case the unruly Slytherins tried to turn the class into chaos.  
  
They needn't have worried, of course.  
  
Kurama swept into the room, his black robes billowing out behind him. He had nothing but his wand, and everyone noticed the odd, reddish hue to it that came from the beautiful cherry wood it was made of.  
  
Hermione rolled her eyes as several girls tried – and failed miserably – to stifle longing sighs. Luckily, she'd learned her lesson with Lockhart. But this guy had her trust – he had a genuine, down-to-earth "aura", while still remaining somewhat detached and elegant.  
  
Ok, so she had a crush, but wasn't showing it.  
  
Hey, at least he was her age!  
  
Kurama smiled mildly at them all, and raised his wand. "Take out your wands. I'll be giving a practical lesson today, to see how far you are in the area of dueling."  
  
Everyone's – even the Slytherins' – expressions brightened considerably. They'd only ever gotten real practical lessons with Lupin. Lockhart's failed attempt at a dueling club was still fresh in their minds, but after Umbridge, they'd take that chance. They all stuffed their books in bags and whipped out their wands.  
  
Kurama waved his wand, and all the desks and chairs piled neatly against the walls.  
  
"Now. You will all engage in a short duel with me. Who would like to go first?"  
  
"Please," someone drawled, "You shouldn't even be out of school, let alone teaching."  
  
"I believe we have a volunteer," said Kurama, still sounding his usual cheerful but calm self.  
  
Malfoy stepped forward into the bare middle of the classroom and raised his wand, looking quite confident.  
  
They faced off; wands raised, and bowed stiffly, Kurama never taking his eyes off the boy. His instincts wouldn't let him, despite the very un- fatal situation.  
  
Malfoy made the first move, "Expelliarmus!"  
  
"Rebandio!" Kurama said, and a bright golden light shot at Malfoy's disarming charm. It sent the spell right back at him.  
  
The pale boy was flung against the wall with a loud thud, and his wand went soaring into the air in a high arc. Kurama snatched it out of the air and tossed it back to the boy, who was rubbing his head and scowling.  
  
The Gryffindors tried – and failed miserably – to hide their snickers. Several were clutching their stomachs and covering their mouths to keep from laughing.  
  
"Next."  
  
Ten minutes later, Kurama had successfully kicked the butts of all the students except Harry.  
  
Said boy stepped forward and faced off with the fox. They bowed quickly, and, like all the other students, Harry made the first move.  
  
"Falure!"  
  
The colorless spell made the room look warped when it passed, and several students yelped. Kurama's face was totally blank, and Harry double- blinked. His emotions were 100% under his control...you could never tell what he was thinking...someone so young like this, with such obvious skill, it was hard to believe, really. As if he was experienced in the area of fighting.  
  
It was unnerving just looking at him.  
  
Kurama knew the Rebounding Spell wasn't powerful enough to deflect this Pinning Curse. It was reasonably advanced, more advanced than the other students' spells, at least.  
  
Kurama waved his wand and conjured a shining silver shield. The Pinning Curse hit the shield with a bang (most of the students winced and covered their ears), and Kurama could hear it cracking under the strain. No matter. He hadn't intended to stave off the attack entirely...  
  
"Impendimenta!" he pointed his wand at Harry's robe, and it burst into bright orange flame.  
  
The boy yelped and fell to the floor. His curse immediately died, and Kurama's shield evaporated into thin air.  
  
Kurama muttered a few choice words and the fire on Harry's robes immediately went out.  
  
"Reparo," the fox pointed his wand at the charred corner of Harry's robe, and as if in fast-forward, the fabric repaired itself from nothing. He did the same to the slightly burnt classroom floor.  
  
Harry was slightly surprised at the professor's skill, power and ability to think through hard situations. He totally flipped out when his robes caught on fire...he suddenly realized that's what Professor Minamino had been counting on! To mess with his emotions to win the battle. Though, he was sure if he hadn't fallen, the professor would've beaten him anyway.  
  
"Are you alright?" Kurama asked, "Any burns?"  
  
"No."  
  
He smiled, "Good. Everyone, line up."  
  
They did as they were told, filing into straight lines across the classroom floor.  
  
"I demonstrated the Rebounding Curse three times today, and you'll all be learning it. It will send a foe's spell back at them, if it's not too powerful. Now, div-"  
  
But Kurama was cut off by a magnified voice ringing through the entire castle, 'All students, return to your dormitories immediately. All teachers, escort your classes to their dorms and return to the teacher's lounge.'  
  
"Quickly!" Kurama ushered them all out of the classroom, cutting off any yelps or screams from his students.  
  
"Malfoy, the Slytherins' dorm is very close, am I correct?"  
  
"Yeah."  
  
"Take your classmates. I'll escort the Gryffindors."  
  
Malfoy scowled at being bossed around by someone his own age, but did as he was told anyway. The Slytherins broke apart from the Gryffindors and followed the blonde.  
  
--  
  
Kurama took up the rear of the Gryffindors, making sure there were no stragglers. Hermione and Ron took the lead, and they all swiftly made it to the dorm. Kurama left them at the portrait of the Fat Lady and rushed down to the teachers' lounge.  
  
--  
  
"Oh good, Shuichi, you're here," Professor McGonagall said briskly as the redhead entered the room, "I'm told you know the Patronus charm?"  
  
"Yes."  
  
"Good. Several have been spotted on the grounds. You and Severus will each take half the grounds and get rid of them. They're You-know-who's supporters, so chances are he may have other spies around the castle."  
  
Kurama nodded silently and swept out of the room, his wand raised. Snape was close behind him.  
  
-End Chapter- 


	4. The Threat: Part Two

I noticed a mistake in the last chapter. I put 'Several have been spotted on the grounds'. What she meant to say was, 'Several –dementors- have been spotted on the grounds'. I assume you all made the connection with the Patronus charm yourself, but just in case, it was dementors she was talking about. Gomen!  
  
-Chapter Four, The Threat: Part Two-  
  
Two wizards. The creatures felt them as they sucked the air with slow, rattling breaths.  
  
Two painful pasts...  
  
Their gliding quickened towards them.  
  
A thief, murderer...  
  
Quicker.  
  
If they were humans, the dementors' faces would be shining with malicious glee. Such wonderful emotions...hatred, guilt, anger...in such heavy quantities...  
  
Their rattling breaths become even shallower and raspier as they glide at a rapid pace towards the two wizards. They could feel them splitting up now. The murdering thief was coming towards this particular trio.  
  
--  
  
Kurama, who'd taken the Eastern grounds, could smell the rotten flesh of the horrid creatures. It brought back sharp memories of the Makai...the air in the demon's realm smelled like rotting flesh and blood...he enjoyed that smell, or used to. Now it made him sick to think about it.  
  
He advanced at a swift pace towards the dementors, his wand raised, the sunlight bringing out bright reddish hues in the smooth, dark wood.  
  
A cold wave suddenly swept over the fox. He stopped dead, his body rigid as a stone, when yelling suddenly engulfed his world. He was thrown into a vortex of black, swirling with pain, agony and pure suffering.  
  
-'Run, Kurama!'...a deep, raspy voice, choked with pain...  
  
'I don't want to die!'...a higher, clearer voice, filled with fear...-  
  
The voices repeated in his head, and suddenly his insides seemed to be turned to ice. Rattling, sucking sounds could be heard, but they were distant...so distant, so muffled...  
  
They were standing right in front of him.  
  
His emotions were taking control...no, he couldn't let that happen!  
  
'That's over!' he screamed in his mind.  
  
The voices grew louder.  
  
'IT'S OVER!'  
  
His own voice clouded the ones of Kuronue and Amanuma. Now they were the ones distant...and the rattling was getting so close...he shivered.  
  
Kurama's green eyes shot open, a deadly glint in his eyes.  
  
No one. NO ONE! Used Kuronue to make him weak!  
  
His golden aura flared around his body like bright orange flames. He realized he'd fallen to his knees. The fox doesn't bother to get up.  
  
He glared at the dementors as they slowly closed in on him. His emotions were gone. Completely. They fed off of nothing. They wanted his soul now...  
  
"Expecto Patronum!" Kurama snarled, thrusting his wand in their direction.  
  
A large, slender silver creature shot out of the tip, baring needle-sharp canines. It charged at the dementors, but didn't just barrel into them. It opened its mouth and sank its fangs into the first dementor's neck.  
  
An ear-splitting shriek assaulted Kurama's ears as the patronus's teeth sank deeper into the dementor, until it finally vanished in a puff of pitch- black dust.  
  
The silver fox landed lightly on its feet and snarled silently at the other dementors. It lunged at them, biting them in the necks and they, too, disappeared in clouds of black smoke.  
  
Kurama closed his eyes and leaned against a tree, panting hard and shaking violently. His patronus had disappeared.  
  
--  
  
Snape trekked the Eastern grounds, looking for Professor Minamino. He'd taken care of the two dementors in the Western half of the grounds.  
  
He knew that boy shouldn't have been appointed the DADA professor...much too young and inexperienced...he probably got the kiss by now.  
  
Suddenly he heard a piercing screech, and took off at a run towards the sound.  
  
There was Shuichi, on his knees, wand raised, shaking so forcefully he looked ready to collapse. A silver fox was charging at the two remaining dementors and biting them in the necks.  
  
The professor's black eyes widened at the sight before him. The silver fox wasn't just barreling the other two dementors down and chasing them away...it seemed to have...killed them.  
  
Was it possible to kill a dementor? Yes, but it was one of the most advanced spells, it had never been mastered before.  
  
And before him was a sixteen-year-old boy, tall and lean, looking none too tough at all, yet he created the first deadly patronus.  
  
And there was the power that surrounded him. Like fire that burst up at his feet, the boy was surrounded by something golden. Snape had no idea what, but he could feel pressure, even from this distance, as though the "flames" were pushing him backwards.  
  
He watched silently as the fox disappeared, and its master leaned against the tree. He was shaking, but his wand was clutched tightly in his hand.  
  
Snape watched Kurama grab a tree branch for support and get himself to his feet. Snape turned swiftly on his heel and went to use a different entrance into the castle.  
  
And it's a good thing he did.  
  
--  
  
"You'll never survive that fall!"  
  
Yusuke raised an eyebrow, "Sure I will. It's not that far down."  
  
"Wha-what?! We're in a TOWER! You'll break all the bones in your body!" Hermione snapped.  
  
"No, I won't," Yusuke said firmly, and before she could say another word, he stepped off the ledge of the Gryffindor Tower's window.  
  
--  
  
Yusuke kicked off his slip-on black shoes in mid-air, and his feet began to glow blue with spirit energy.  
  
The ground was coming up to meet him at an exceedingly fast pace. Yusuke bent his knees, and sent spirit energy to both of his legs before landing rather expertly on the grassy earth below.  
  
"Hey, Kurama," he grinned, but that smile quickly faded when he noticed what state his friend was in.  
  
He slanted his red-brown eyes with concern and walked over to the fox, "You ok?"  
  
Kurama's skin was white as a ghost's, and looked even paler against his black robes and vivid red hair.  
  
"Just...nothing, Yusuke. I'm alright."  
  
"You're shaking like hell, Kurama!"  
  
"Really, Yusuke, I'm...you mind my asking why you're not wearing the black school robes?"  
  
"Ok, now you're starting to sound like Keiko!"  
  
Kurama smiled weakly, "I must be getting back to the castle now...and so should you, before anyone notices you're gone."  
  
"Hell no! Foxboy, knowing you, you would walk a mile with your head hacked off. Doesn't mean I'm gonna let you," Yusuke said, and he threw Kurama's arm over his neck and grabbed him around the waist for support.  
  
--  
  
Kurama's violent shaking had subsided slightly, and the fox insisted he walk on his own once they reached the front doors of the castle. But Yusuke wouldn't let him walk to the teachers' lounge alone. No one saw him, because the teachers were in the lounge, and the students in their House dormitories.  
  
"Alright, Yusuke, now go back to your House," Kurama said once they were in front of the teachers' lounge.  
  
"Yeah, ok. Hey," he suddenly smirked, "you gonna punish me for breaking two rules now?"  
  
"Of course not. I didn't want this job in the first place. Just wear your uniform during classes, alright?"  
  
"Yeah, ok, foxboy," Yusuke waved and walked back to Gryffindor Tower.  
  
Kurama sighed. He was still shaking, and he could only guess how pale he looked. He opened the door to the teachers' lounge, and was immediately attacked.  
  
"I can't BELIEVE they hired someone so YOUNG, and then sent him out to fight dementors!" Madam Pomfrey muttered irritably, feeling his forehead, checking his pulse, and then shoving a chunk of chocolate into his hand. Kurama recognized this as the antidote to dementors.  
  
He smiled, "I'm alright, really..."  
  
"No, you're not! You're shaking, you're pale, and you're ice-cold. Eat the chocolate, Shuichi."  
  
'Worse than my mother,' Kurama thought, taking a small bite of the chocolate just to appease her.  
  
"So," Professor McGonagall said, "Shuichi, how many dementors did you encounter?"  
  
"Three."  
  
McGonagall nodded. So there'd been five dementors on the grounds. Shaking her head slightly, she walked out to report this to Dumbledore.  
  
"Well, since classes are canceled for the day, I need to go and tend to some plants," Professor Sprout said and headed for the door.  
  
Kurama quickly downed the last of the chocolate, "Professor Sprout, I could help if you like."  
  
Professor Sprout smiled slightly at him, "Know something about plants? Well, come along if you want."  
  
Kurama smiled and followed her.  
  
-End Chapter-  
  
Almost five full pages! Hope you liked. I know, this is centering a lot on Kurama...but I can't help it! lol We'll see how Yusuke does in his classes soon, and he'll be the "main" character for awhile, I promise. 


	5. Plants and Potions

-Chapter Five, Plants and Potions-  
  
"Not sure if it'll be safe for you in here," Professor Sprout gestured to greenhouse four's clear glass door.  
  
Kurama smiled calmly. "I'm sure I will be fine."  
  
"Alright, but keep your wand out," Professor Sprout whipped out her own and dug in her robe's pockets for something, frowning, she came up empty, "I'm sure I had the keys...wait here while I go back to the office..."  
  
Kurama was on the verge of nodding when his fox impatience caught up with him. He was extremely interested in the "dangerous" plants these wizards had been able to grow and confine, and knew it would take her a good 15 minutes to go back across the grounds, get the keys, and come back.  
  
"Let me try something," he stepped up to the door and bent down on one knee so he was level with the lock.  
  
'This is pitifully simple...I thought the greatest magic school in the world would be more well-guarded'  
  
Judging by the spirit energy he could faintly sense around the lock, the Alohomora charm wouldn't work. No matter. He wasn't called the King of Thieves for nothing.  
  
His emerald orbs scan the ground beneath him, and he picks up a small, thin stick. Inserting it into the lock, he sends a small amount of energy to the stick to make it stiff as steel, and wiggled it around for a few seconds before a satisfying click was heard. Smiling calmly, as if picking a magical lock was something he did everyday (that wasn't true, in a sense, he hadn't picked a magical lock for 16 years), and pulled open the door.  
  
Professor Sprout double-blinked. Shock was written all over her expression, but Kurama acted unfazed.  
  
"What did you do?" she finally found her voice.  
  
"I picked the lock."  
  
"But that was magically sealed, boy!"  
  
"I know."  
  
Giving him a wary glance, the professor strode into the greenhouse, beckoning for Kurama to follow.  
  
--  
  
"WHAT?! I thought classes were canceled for today!"  
  
"Well, they simply UNcanceled the last two of the day, I suppose," Hermione said, gathering the books she'd need and stuffing them into her bag.  
  
"This sucks...this just sucks..." Yusuke muttered, "And I can't even skip..."  
  
Hard to skip school when you literally live there. Besides, if he did manage to skip, Kurama would have his head on a stick.  
  
"Skip?" Harry blinked, also gathering his books, "How did you skip at your last school?"  
  
"Didn't live in the actual school," Yusuke said, sounding irritated, "Ma was drunk most of the time, so she didn't care, or didn't notice, when I skipped."  
  
It usually hurt like hell when she DID notice, though. Throwing things at his head...  
  
"What about your dad?" Ron asked, diving under a chair in the common room to get one of his books.  
  
Yusuke snorted, "Dead."  
  
There was an uncomfortable silence (for Harry, Ron and Hermione anyway) as they traipsed down several staircases, through hallways and such, to get to the Transfiguration classroom.  
  
--  
  
A vine gently crept along his shoulder, slowly wrapping around his upper arm. Its grip was firm, but not tight or constricting at all. Kurama felt as if the plant was greeting him warmly.  
  
"Just slap them if they get rough," Professor Sprout said over her shoulder.  
  
Kurama tilted his head slightly to one side, gently stroking the vine on his shoulder with the adjacent hand, "With all due respect, professor, these are very gentle plants, if you are gentle back to them."  
  
"Gentle? Boy, plants don't have feelings. I can't blame them for being hungry, but I can't let them hurt me, or anyone else."  
  
Kurama coughed pointedly, his eyes resting on the vine on his arm, which was shivering slightly as he stroked it. It reminded him of Kuwabara's cat purring.  
  
--  
  
Yusuke snorted as he slid into his wooden seat and whipped out his wand.  
  
Like Kurama, his spirit energy was way too much for any wand of Ollivander's to handle. However, the Japanese wand maker (who Kurama reluctantly told he was a fox demon, but wiped his memory afterwards), who understood Japanese mythology about kitsunes and was able to custom-make a wand for Kurama, was not able to do the same for Yusuke because of his mixed blood. So, the detective had to have the Japanese wand maker collaborate with spirit world craftsmen to make his wand. 11 ½ inches, hard and inflexible (how befitting), made of redwood with a core of his own hair.  
  
Professor McGonagall looked around at her students as the bell rang and began explaining the Morphing Spell...  
  
Yusuke drifted off, bored. He fiddled with his wand in between his fingers, thankful for the overly tall person sitting in front of him, wondering what it was that made Kurama so shaky. He really hadn't lost that much energy...  
  
He swore under his breath so no one would hear. He wanted to talk to the kitsune about what happened, but these stupid classes had to start. Oh well...there was only one more class after this one...  
  
"Mr. Urameshi!" Professor McGonagall snapped, tapping her wand sharply on his desk.  
  
"Yeah. What?"  
  
The professor narrowed her eyes at him menacingly. No one disrespected her like that!  
  
Yusuke was quite unfazed. He'd had worse...  
  
"Mr. Urameshi, please demonstrate the Morphing Spell for the class."  
  
Several students clapped their hands over their mouth to hide their snickers.  
  
Yusuke took a quick glance at the chalkboard to see what the incantation was, then raised his wand over the pebble on his desk.  
  
"Mores!" he said, almost lazily, concentrating on a pile of sand in his head (just to give them something a little harder to clean up later).  
  
The rock glowed a bright yellow. As the small light dimmed...a pile of sand was revealed.  
  
Professor McGonagall looked surprise, then smiled slightly. "Very good. Who would like to be next?"  
  
--  
  
It was the second...no, third...shock Professor Sprout received today.  
  
1.) A 16-yr-old took on three dementors, and won.  
  
2.) Same 16-yr-old boy picked the magical lock on greenhouse four.  
  
3.) The SAME boy was...well, she didn't know what to call it...taming? The dangerous plants!  
  
They seemed to submit to him, a few even showed what could only be affection, wrapping themselves gently around his fingers and arms and "playing" with his hair.  
  
Kurama knew these were demonic plants. Only they would have "feelings" like this, and only the rarer species. He knew he shouldn't be demonstrating his skills so openly...he mentally kicked himself after picking that lock. With all this magic in the air, his demon blood seemed to be a bit more restless than usual. Well...Dumbledore knew what he was, being an old friend of Koenma's, the prince had immediately sent for Kurama and Yusuke, his two best, since Hiei was busy in the Makai, and wouldn't have taken this mission anyway.  
  
--  
  
Yusuke snorted, pocketing his wand and throwing his book bag over his shoulder. Everyone but him had been given homework, being as he was the only one to successfully complete the charm. In one try, no less.  
  
So he was glad for that. But the next class was potions, and ever since Maze Castle Yusuke had had something against dungeons and the like. Not to mention, he already despised the teacher, and was planning very evil things to do to Snape in his evil head...  
  
Why did he hate Snape? He ran into the wizard on his way to Transfiguration. Pushed past him without a second glance, and had five points taken off Gryffindor, and then another five for muttering some profanity in Japanese under his breath. Snape couldn't understand the language, but he decided the boy must be insulting him, so out the window went five points.  
  
The only consolation at this point was that Yusuke had won twenty points for completing that Morphing Spell on his first try.  
  
Harry, Hermione and Ron were in the year ahead of him, so they couldn't show him the way. He just followed the other Gryffindor 5th years to the dungeons, and took a seat. They weren't working with partners today.  
  
Yusuke snorted lightly at the dungeon. Dark, stony...and, well, dark. That's it. There was a desk up front with a chalkboard beside it, but that was it, really, aside from the students' tables and chairs.  
  
A tall man swept into the room. Pale skin, black robes, and greasy black hair. The cliché picture of evil.  
  
Yusuke fought to keep from bursting out laughing. Everyone was scared of this guy?  
  
--  
  
With some help from Kurama, Professor Sprout quickly finished feeding the plants, and neither of them even got so much as a scratch. Kurama wanted to stay, to study these human-grown demonic plants, but needed to prepare for his class the next day, and so he reluctantly left with Professor Sprout. The door locked automatically when closed from the outside, so not only was there no danger of locking yourself in; he didn't need to display anymore thieving skills to relock it.  
  
"Professor. Which class would the fifth year Gryffindors be in right now?" Kurama asked, purely out of curiosity.  
  
"Potions, I think, with Severus Snape," Professor Sprout said.  
  
Kurama nodded. He had a deep dislike for the man, but he controlled his emotions too well to let anyone else know that. Snape also seemed to hate Kurama...it was odd. Kurama swore Snape had dropped hints that he knew something of Kurama's demonic origin, but the fox refused to believe it without further evidence. He trusted Dumbledore to keep it a secret, even from the rest of the staff.  
  
--  
  
Yusuke rolled his eyes at the potion ingredients Snape had poofed onto the board. He warned them this was going to be difficult, but all Yusuke had to do was follow the directions, and nothing would go wrong.  
  
He was gonna show this teacher up, make him hand out points to Gryffindor, and then put his little plan into action.  
  
Yep. Yusuke nodded, glancing at the board again, then down at his potion. He smirked. Wow, when he wanted to, he could really do well. The potion was supposed to be a light, airy blue, and guess what Yusuke's was? Light, airy blue, that's what.  
  
Meaning, he was finished. Now...to do the evil, evil deed he'd planned on...  
  
-End Chapter-  
  
Yusuke is forced to study, and that's why he's doing so well. He's really not that stupid if you think about it...but there's also a reason why I'm making him do so well, to help the plotline along...and don't worry, he won't totally ace all his classes.   
  
Ok, people, I need some disturbed yet smart minds. Disturbingly smart minds! Yeah! I need ya'll to come up with an idea for Yusuke's evil, evil prank he should play on Snape... 


	6. Pink and Suspicious

Lots of ya'll seem really fond of associating Snape, and something pink! I loved all of your ideas, and tried to collaborate more than one, so I hope you like the prank, and thank you to all the disturbingly smart minds that gave me ideas! This prank will not end in this chap, either, so don't worry!  
  
-Chapter Six, Pink and Suspicions-  
  
Oh, this would be sweet...  
  
Cause revenge is sweet, and Yusuke was about to get Snape back for being such a frickin' jerk. And looking way too much like the walking dead for his taste...  
  
It seemed Snape hated Gryffindors, period. He took five points off because a girl had a messy desk, even though her potion was perfect. Another Gryffindor boy got humiliated when Malfoy (who was working close to him) "accidentally" knocked into his desk and dumped the potion – which was spitting multi-colored sparks – onto his chest, burning through his clothes, creating a huge frayed hole and exposing his chest.  
  
Oh yes. Snape was going to get it now. Yusuke knew that boy to be extremely self-conscious, yet extremely nice.  
  
(a/n: and here comes the PINK! Mwhahahaha!)  
  
Keeping his wand under his desk, Yusuke muttered something quietly in Japanese. English and Japanese spells worked the same in either language. He did this so the idiot teacher would think he was muttering and translating the directions or something under his breath.  
  
He felt an invisible beam soar towards Snape, who had his back turned. It soaked into the hem of his robe, spreading all over his clothes and hair. It stayed invisible. Yusuke liked this particular spell because it took a few seconds to take affect, enough time for him to feign innocence.  
  
And feign it he did. He discreetly shoved his wand back in his robes and pretended to concentrate on the last ingredient to his potion, that would turn it the final color, violet.  
  
He smirked as it turned a deep, pleasing violet, and looked up to see Snape...just as a pink cloud suddenly surrounded him.  
  
Pink. Yusuke hid his grin and stared intently at his potion for a moment, looking up just as screams and yelps from Slytherins rang through the room.  
  
Snape was standing there, looking ready to kill, his black clothes and hair stained bright, sickening, neon pink.  
  
'This is great!' Yusuke thought, fighting to hide hysterical laughter.  
  
Just then, with perfect timing that only luck could produce, the dungeon's door flung open to reveal a certain red-haired fox.  
  
This was just too perfect.  
  
Kurama blinked, frozen in the doorway at the sight of the...pink...Snape.  
  
"Ah...Severus, I need to borrow Urameshi..."  
  
Said boy glanced up at the fox, fighting to keep his face straight, because Kurama would know what happened if he showed too much glee...  
  
Snape shot Kurama a death glare, to which the fox met with his sharp green eyes.  
  
"FINE! Take the idiot boy out of my sight!" Snape yelled, jamming his finger at Urameshi, his pink robes swaying about his lividly rigid form.  
  
Kurama slanted his green eyes at Snape, his lean body immediately straightening regally. The girls in the room stared at the teenager, he looked absolutely royal, like everyone else in that room was lower than dirt, and he was higher than the heavens.  
  
Yusuke grinned. He knew that look, that "pose". Kurama was about to verbally burn this guy...  
  
"Severus. I expect to be treated with as much respect as the other teachers, and I doubt you shout at them. And I ask you do not insult my nephew any longer. Now, Yusuke, follow me," he said firmly, suddenly sounding like the prideful 300-yr-old fox demon he was.  
  
Yusuke nodded and quickly scooped his potion into a vial, setting it on Snape's desk, ignoring the urge to make a snide comment about his pink attire...  
  
Ignore? How could Yusuke pass up a chance like this! He opened his mouth, but felt a hard stare, and looked round to see Kurama giving him a 'shut-up- or-you'll-get-in-trouble' look. Snorting, Yusuke grabbed his things and followed the fox out of the classroom, leaving a livid Snape behind.  
  
--  
  
"Yusuke," Kurama smirked slightly, "I expect you had something to do with that?"  
  
"Depends...what if I said yes?"  
  
"I would congratulate you on mastering an invisible color-changing charm."  
  
"Well, hell yes! He was a jerk, I had to do something!"  
  
Kurama nodded, "I expected nothing less from you, Yusuke."  
  
"Yeah. Anyway, why'd you need me?"  
  
"Dumbledore wanted to see us. I don't know why."  
  
"Oh."  
  
--  
  
"What the hell is that?"  
  
"Fizzing Whizbee," Kurama said lazily.  
  
"Wha...no...Kurama...you ok?" Yusuke blinked, yelping as the gargoyle leapt aside, revealing a winding staircase.  
  
Kurama pulled Yusuke up the steps until they came to a large door. Immediately an elderly man with long, silver hair opened it, Yusuke decided it was nothing to rival Kurama's, though. They entered and Dumbledore took a seat behind his desk, Kurama and Yusuke taking chairs in front of him.  
  
"Why did you wish to see us?" Kurama spoke first, sounding slightly annoyed, "My class starts in 15 minutes."  
  
"I know, Mr. Minamino. I need to tell you both something very important, and I ask you listen carefully."  
  
Kurama and Yusuke nodded.  
  
"I'm afraid Severus is slowly unraveling your secret," he looked at Kurama, "Apparently, he knows of Youko Kurama, and when you picked the lock of greenhouse four..."  
  
Kurama snorted. "That was foolish of me!"  
  
"Ah, the old geezer doesn't have any proof!" Yusuke smirked, "Like he could ever outsmart foxboy."  
  
Dumbledore looked at him sharply, "Professor Snape, Mr. Urameshi," he corrected.  
  
Yusuke snorted, "Feh! I could kick his a-"  
  
Kurama looked at him sharply, cutting off the inevitable obscenity.  
  
--  
  
After the meeting, Kurama and Yusuke sped down to Kurama's classroom. Yusuke took a seat, staring down at his desk to keep from laughing out loud at the swooning girls entering the classroom. He had excellent hearing, good enough to hear snatches of conversations.  
  
"I know!" one managed to keep her squeal moderately quiet, "He actually looked at me!"  
  
"Oh yeah? He –smiled- at me!"  
  
"I bumped into him in the hall. He helped me up!"  
  
"He touched your hand?"  
  
"Yes!" the three girls bit their lips to keep from squealing again, and everyone is seated as soon as the bell rang.  
  
Yusuke glanced up, giving Kurama a pitying look. The fox simply gave a slight shake of his head, before rapping his wand sharply on his desk. Every eye in the room was fixated on him.  
  
This was the Gryffindor and Ravenclaw 5th year's first DADA class, but the Slytherin and Gryffindor 6th years had told them everything that happened in their class. He performed spells seventh years didn't even know existed, and he was younger than them!  
  
Kurama smiled that trademark polite smile of his at them all, sending the "weaker" girls into swooning fits. They fought to keep silent, and Kurama pretended to ignore them for now. Apparently, when he was around, it couldn't be helped, so there was no use punishing them.  
  
"Put away your books, take out your wands," Kurama held up his own, "I'll be teaching you all the Patronus charm."  
  
Several students gasped. One raised her hand timidly.  
  
"Yes?" Kurama asked.  
  
"With all due respect, sir, err, sensei...ah, isn't that really, really, really advanced?"  
  
"Not really. I know several students who could perform that charm in their fifth year."  
  
The girl flinched as though burned. His sweet, polite tone was worse than shouting in this situation.  
  
"I expect you'll enjoy this," Kurama chuckled lightly and pulled several huge bars of chocolate from his desk drawer, setting them down with a loud thud, "I've got enough for everyone to take 10 tries. We will not be using real dementors, of course, but it will be draining. Even so, it is extremely important you all master this charm," his voice had suddenly became firm and serious, and everyone was hanging on his every word, "I will make sure you all get it right. So, stand up, and let me clear the room."  
  
Like in his last class, Kurama waved his wand as everyone got out of their chairs, and all desks and chairs flew up into neat stacks against the walls.  
  
"Now," Kurama started, and Yusuke was slightly surprised at how authoritative that soft voice sounded, it even made him listen, "Conjure up your most pleasant memory."  
  
For Yusuke, that memory was when he first met Keiko, and knew he had one real friend to count on. He could recall that day perfectly, even though he was only 4 at the time (just a guess).  
  
"Ready?" Kurama asked the class. Everyone gave a "yes" or a "yeah", so Kurama continued. "The incantation is 'Expecto Patronum'."  
  
The classroom erupted with "EXPECTO PATRONUM!" as everyone shouted the incantation. Kurama winced slightly at the noise panging in his sensitive ears. Human or demon form, he still had extremely heightened senses.  
  
Yusuke produced a slightly distorted eagle patronus. Everyone else grasped the walls, panting, in cold sweats. A few had tiny little see-through clouds of silver in front of them, but these quickly disappeared. Kurama smiled slyly at Yusuke. He knew the detective would've gotten it in the first or second try. He looked a little pale, though.  
  
Kurama handed out chunks of chocolate to everyone, giving them a choice whether they wanted to try again or not. Most said yes.  
  
He gave the command for everyone to do it again. Still, wisps of smoke hung in the air in front of a lucky few. Yusuke's eagle was fully formed and flying around the room, opening its beak in silent screeches. It came to lightly land on its owner's shoulder, before disappearing completely.  
  
After the chocolate was gone, an hour had passed, and Kurama dismissed the class.  
  
On his way to his office, he passed Harry, Hermione and Ron, talking in whispers. But when his name was mentioned, he tuned in to the conversation.  
  
"...Professor Minamino, yeah," Ron was saying, "Snape was dropping hints about him. I just dunno what about."  
  
"He let it slip his patronus was a fox," Hermione said thoughtfully, "Maybe we should visit him?"  
  
"Yeah," Harry nodded.  
  
Kurama snorted lightly in annoyance and slipped into his office without anyone noticing. So they were planning a little interrogation, were they?  
  
-End Chapter-  
  
Over five pages! Go me! XD Yep, I thought up a really cool sort of twist to this story that'll be revealed soon, so I hope ya'll will like it! 


	7. Interrogation

-jumps up and down like a maniac- I found a way to bring in the rest of the YYH gang! But I'm not telling, cause it'll ruin it, so enjoy this chap for now! XD However, I need everyone to have these songs:  
  
Wild Wind – Kurama/Hiei  
  
Eye to Eye – Kurama/Hiei/Kuwabara  
  
Dark Side Stories – Youko Kurama/Hiei (note: make sure you have the version with the talking intro!)  
  
Yasashisa wa Nemuranai – Kurama/Hiei/Yusuke/Kuwabara  
  
Koori no Naifu o Daite – Kurama  
  
Kurayami ni Akai Bara – Romantic Soldier - Kurama  
  
Hikari no Naka de – Kurama/Hiei/Yusuke/Kuwabara  
  
All Right! – Yusuke  
  
Email kurama roses (at) yahoo . com with the subject "YYH Song Unseen Danger" (or else it might get deleted) and tell me the song(s) you need. I check my email several times daily, so you'll probably get it that same day. Just take out the spaces in my email address and add the 'at' sign.   
  
-Chapter 7, Interrogation-  
  
As expected, Kurama heard a knock on his door five minutes after he managed to slip into his office.  
  
"Come in," he said pleasantly.  
  
And, also as expected, Harry, Ron and Hermione opened the door.  
  
"What did you need?" he asked, fighting to keep his annoyance at a low, undetectable level. His secret was none of their business!  
  
"Um...can we ask you something?" Hermione spoke first.  
  
Kurama raised a crimson eyebrow, but nodded.  
  
"What day is the full moon this month?"  
  
'Certainly an odd question,' Kurama though, 'Unless they're wondering if I'm a werewolf.'  
  
"I'm not sure..." for added effect; Kurama opened a desk drawer and pulled out an English calendar, laying it flat on his desk. He pointed out the day of the full moon.  
  
The three younger wizards took note that it wasn't marked or emphasized in any way.  
  
"Uh, thanks," Harry fished around in his mind for a clever question to ask. Maybe if they exposed his left arm (I'm pretty sure the left forearm is where the Dark Mark is tattooed on all the Death Eaters?), maybe they'd find the Dark Mark. But a Death Eater wouldn't expose themselves like that on purpose...they'd have to trick him.  
  
Little did they know, you can't outsmart a fox.  
  
Maybe magic! Harry needed to distract him. He could rip his sleeve with the same spell he ripped Diggory's bag with in his fourth year.  
  
Hermione, of course, was already a step ahead. She was thinking along the same lines as Harry, and had spotted a small plant growing on the windowsill in a clay pot. She casually walked over to it, and discreetly knocked it over, giving a fake yelp for extra emphasis.  
  
"I'm so sorry professor!" she said, bending down to begin picking up the pieces.  
  
Kurama sighed and walked over and picked up the shards. "It's alright. Just...be careful, the edges are sharp."  
  
Harry walked up behind Kurama, muttered a spell, and pointed his wand at the professor's black sleeve. Said sleeve ripped down the seam, falling down the fox's leanly muscled arm and onto the floor.  
  
Kurama quirked an eyebrow, glancing back to look at Harry.  
  
Hermione barely noticed, she was bending low over the ground, searching for more pottery pieces, while hiding a bright scarlet blush. She expected him to be lean, small, y'know, nothing to him.  
  
Oh, she was so wrong...  
  
Judging by his bare arm, he was muscular, but leanly so, like a male dancer would be. He certainly had the elegant, regal movements to be one.  
  
Harry fought back a frustrated groan. His arm was totally bare; no Dark Mark, not even a normal tattoo some would expect a teenager to have.  
  
So. He wasn't a Death Eater or a werewolf. What else could Snape have been hinting at?  
  
Ron decided to take the direct approach. "Snape was saying things in class, after he turned..." the boy bit his tongue – literally – to fight back a laugh and the word 'pink' (6th years had Potions after the 5th year Gryffindors), "Anyway, he was hinting at things..."  
  
"He was?"  
  
"...Yeah."  
  
"If you came here to find out what, I don't know," Kurama said firmly, letting some of his annoyance seep into his voice.  
  
"Look!" Harry snapped suddenly, "If it has anything to do with me, or my parents, or Voldemort, I have a right to know."

Ron and Hermione visibly flinched at the Dark Lord's name, but Kurama was unfazed.  
  
"No," Kurama said simply, abandoning the pottery pieces on the floor. He sat down at his desk and crossed his legs in a businesslike way. "Now, please leave. The class bell is about to ring for Transfiguration."  
  
Harry glared at him, a glare the fox shot back and deepened. He swore the professor's eyes flashed gold just then...  
  
--  
  
"Maybe he isn't hiding anything. Snape just might not like him," Hermione said reasonably, and sounding slightly defeated.  
  
"No...he glared at me, Hermione. It was almost a threat to ask him anything else," Harry sighed, "It's something."  
  
Ron shook his head, "It's weird someone so young is so powerful, y'know? And I heard his nephew created a full-blown Patronus in his class on the second try, and never even fainted."  
  
"Weird," Harry said.  
  
--  
  
That night, something was added to Harry's dream, the one he'd had every night since before he found out he was a wizard. A pair of piercing amber orbs and a flash of silver...a deep, cocky chuckle, and then a loud, animalistic screech...  
  
-End Chapter-  
  
I'm sorry I had to end it, since it was so short! But I like the feel it gave, so.... There ya go! I'm on a plot roll with this story, so I'll update a lot...the chapter where the songs are needed will. Be. Fun. I promise! XD Just make sure you have them, and remember, email me if you don't!


	8. Amber Eyes

Ok, if I haven't gotten you the songs yet, don't worry, you'll get them today. Also! SILLYNINGENGIRL: I got an email back saying your inbox won't accept the files. Please reset your settings or something, and then email me back with the songs you need.  
  
If you're not allowed to email me for the songs needed, every one but All Right! is available for direct download at h t t p : k u r a m a . a n g e l t o w n s . n e t / I n d e x 2 . h t m – just take out the spaces.  
  
Hey, I just made things easier for myself...ok then, if you need the song All Right! then email me, otherwise, download it. XD If it doesn't work, then ask me for the other songs you need. My email address is in the previous chapter, I believe.  
  
This'll also make it possible for those who aren't allowed to email me to enjoy the "music chapter" to the fullest. It's coming up very soon, too, so...  
  
-Chapter Eight, Amber Eyes-  
  
At breakfast the next morning, Hermione and Ron noticed Harry looked paler than usual.  
  
"You look like one of the ghosts!" Ron said, prodding Harry in the shoulder.  
  
"Didn't get much sleep, I guess," Harry said.  
  
Hermione quirked an eyebrow, and Ron snorted. Harry could tell neither believed him.  
  
"Wha' 'appe'd?" Ron asked, his mouth stuffed to the breaking point with breakfast food.  
  
Hermione shot him a sharp look, and he swallowed, "Err, I mean, what happened?"  
  
"That dream again...the one where Voldemort (Ron and Hermione flinched) killed my parents. Something was new...after we talked to Professor Minamino, I saw this silver flash, and amber eyes and..." Harry shivered slightly, "His laugh was as bad as Voldemort's (more flinching)."  
  
Ron gaped, "Really?"  
  
"Yeah," Harry said, "Deeper...but just as cold."  
  
Harry shook his head, trying to clear his thoughts. He'd never seen such a brilliant shade of silver...it seemed to flow, like silken hair, with the movements of those piercing amber eyes...and that laugh! So deep, it was almost hypnotizing...  
  
He couldn't help but let his green eyes wander to the High Table, where Professor Minamino was sitting calmly, eating breakfast, his legs were probably crossed, too. The redhead caught Harry's eye and smiled kindly, startling him.  
  
'But...yesterday he seemed so mad...' Harry blinked, and tried to eat, concentrating on his food to keep his mind from going over that dream, again and again...  
  
--  
  
Harry really concentrated hard on his upcoming lessons. Not only did he find he was better at it (well, duh! This guy van be worse than Yusuke sometimes, y'know...), but it got his mind off the dream. He didn't understand...it had never bothered him before.  
  
Those piercing amber eyes seemed taped to his eyeballs – he saw them, wherever he went. He needed to find out who that was! He had a part in his parent's death, Harry knew it...  
  
And he couldn't stop himself from staring at Professor Minamino in DADA, or when they passed in the halls. His mind wandered to the day before, when his eyes flashed gold...  
  
A charm, to scare him off? Harry doubted it. That deep of amber gold was not a normal eye color. Hermione said it was a trick of the light, Ron decided to lift his spirits (note sarcasm) by suggesting he was a schizophrenic; -and- the gold eyes were a trick of the light.  
  
He would ask him again. That was the only way: interrogate him until he finally told the truth.  
  
--  
  
So, a week later, Harry found himself, once again, in Professor Minamino's office.  
  
"Harry. If Snape is still hinting at something-"  
  
Harry cut him off, "He's stopped. Last week, when I saw you last time, your eyes..."  
  
The professor's green eyes slant at this.  
  
"...well, they turned gold..."  
  
Kurama pointed to his floor, which was the yellowish stone of the castle, "Trick of the light. The floor's yellow color must've reflected into my eyes, and mingled with the green, changing their color when I looked at you."  
  
Defeated, Harry thanked him and left. At least he didn't get pissed off like last time...  
  
--  
  
"So? Nothing?" Ron asked him.  
  
"Nope. He said it was a trick of the light, because the floors are a shade of yellow," Harry sighed, "I don't believe it, though..."  
  
Hermione suddenly punched the air in triumph, "I've got it!"  
  
She whirled around, but Harry, knowing what was coming, snatched her arm, "What?"  
  
"Veritaserum!" she exclaimed, "We corner him in his office, bring him a drink, and mix Veritaserum in it!"  
  
"Won't he be suspicious of the drink?" Harry asked.  
  
"It'll be Butterbeer...might make his mind more vulnerable, y'know? It's special, so we'll say it's an apology for bothering him!" Hermione looked ready to burst with pride.  
  
"How are we going to get the Veritaserum?" Ron asked.  
  
"Hm...well, making it is out of the question, it's way too hard and dangerous. Snape has a personal storage of the stuff, we could rob him, like last time," Hermione said.  
  
"And the Butterbeer?" Harry asked.  
  
"Next Hogsmeade trip is tomorrow!" Hermione punched the air again.  
  
--  
  
"I can't believe we got it," Hermione panted, clutching a small, clear vial to her chest.  
  
"I'm never robbing Snape again," Ron muttered.  
  
They'd set off a diversion, like in their third year, and once again outsmarted the professor. Who was still pink, by the way...  
  
Harry nodded, and they rushed off to their common room, where Harry had stashed the bottle of Butterbeer under his bed during the weekend. He'd used a spell to keep it fresh, and clean, considering where it was stored. Hermione gently shook out a few drops of the clear liquid, and it's off to the professor's office again...  
  
Poor guy.  
  
It was break, so the professor was most likely preparing for his next class. Harry was about to knock on the door, but stopped when he heard voices.  
  
"...Yusuke, they just won't leave me alone!"  
  
"Ah, don't worry. They won't find out."  
  
Kurama sighed, "I hope not. It is none of their business."  
  
"Eh...I feel guilty now..." Hermione muttered.  
  
"I don't," Harry said firmly, "He's hiding something."  
  
He knocked.  
  
It was Yusuke who answered. He snorted, looked at Kurama, who smiled and nodded, before letting them in.  
  
"Um...professor, we, uh, brought you something to apologize for bothering you..." Hermione set the Butterbeer on his desk.  
  
Kurama smiled, he could sense her uneasiness, "Arigatou."  
  
"Means 'thank you'," Yusuke translated, grinning.  
  
The three other wizards nodded. It sounded like his native language. His English was perfect, but his accent and Japanese way of pronouncing things sometimes got in the way. For example, he frequently pronounced 'r' as 'l', as did Yusuke.  
  
Kurama nodded and took a drink. It tasted very warm, very good. He could tell it had an extremely small bit of alcohol in it, a small enough amount that minors were allowed to buy and drink it. It wouldn't affect him at all.  
  
Suddenly, his mind felt dazed, and his emerald eyes clouded over. He couldn't feel anything, and felt completely helpless.  
  
'Snap out of it!' he yelled at himself (no, this is not Youko, cause they're the same person...you can yell at yourself )  
  
His body went limp in the chair, and he barely felt a pair of arms supporting him.  
  
"What'd you do to him?!" Yusuke snarled, his glare promising a slow and painful death for all three of them.  
  
Harry took out his wand, pointing it directly at Yusuke, "We want to ask him something."  
  
Yusuke smirked, "Don't mess with me, kid. You're in over your naive head already."  
  
Harry looked directly at Kurama, "Why did your eyes go gold the first time were here?"  
  
Kurama groaned. His mouth opened, but he didn't let anything come out. His demon blood was boiling, angry, this arrogant child would never know his secret...  
  
Even so, against his will, "I am a-"  
  
Yusuke slapped his hand over his mouth.  
  
"GET OUT!" Yusuke roared, his other hand now pointing at them. His index finger was pointed straight at the wizards, as if he was holding some sort of gun.  
  
Kurama's aura was rising at an alarming rate. Snarling, Yusuke snatched Harry and Ron by their collars, and tossed them out while kneeing Hermione in the back.  
  
Just as he slammed the door shut, the room was engulfed in blue mist. Black lightning crackled, and the blue mist swirled with a white cloud.  
  
"Just in time," Yusuke muttered.  
  
As the rolling blue mist cleared, there stood the thief Youko Kurama, looking murderous.  
  
"How – dare – they – drug – me!" he snarled, his deep voice like thunder. His amber eyes flashed dangerously, making even Yusuke flinch away.  
  
"Drug? What was it?"  
  
"Veritaserum. A powerful truth-telling potion..."  
  
Even as he spoke, his voice softened. The moment of extreme emotion was over, and the red haired body of the thief stood, with the same murderous glint in his now green eyes.  
  
"They've gone too far," he said flatly, "I'm notifying Koenma."  
  
-End Chapter- 


	9. A Few Surprises

SO sorry for not updating! I had to move to the other side of the country (literally! From Arizona to Georgia! Mind, I definitely prefer Georgia...it's all...green...stares in wonder and amazement) and the internet was just hooked up today (Aug 19th). So, updates should definitely be more frequent!

-Chapter Nine, A Few Surprises-

"WHAT?!" came the childish shriek from the other end of the communication mirror.

"Please, Koenma, calm yourself," Kurama said firmly.

"Yeah, don't worry, I didn't let Kurama spill anything," Yusuke said, smirking at the reikai prince's reaction to the fox being drugged, "I kicked'em out before he changed."

Kurama chuckled, "More like –threw- them out, but that's beside the point. Koenma, these children are persistent, I cannot change into a demon in front of the whole class. I would have to wipe their memories."

"I understand the situation, Kurama, but you can't abandon this mission! Just don't eat or drink anything that didn't come straight from the Hogwarts kitchens," Koenma said.

"Should I inform the headmaster? He knows that Yusuke and I have demon blood."

"No...it'd be best not to get Harry in trouble...he's the only one that can kill this Voldemort. Just be careful," and with that, the screen went black.

Kurama sighed, snapping the mirror shut and running a hand through his deep crimson locks.

Yusuke snorted, "Can't even punish them now...stupid wizards, thinking they're better than everybody, and have a right to know everything..."

"I agree, Yusuke. Well...let's go to lunch."

"I can't BELIEVE what he did!" Hermione shrieked, fuming, her hands on her hips and her eyes flashing angrily.

"Hermione!" Harry snapped, trying to shut her up, "That just means that Professor Minamino IS hiding something, and that Yusuke is in on it! There's gotta be a way to find out without them knowing..."

"It's hopeless, Harry," Hermione sighed, plopping down in her favorite chair in a defeated manner, her fury forgotten, "These guys are –smart-. Evaded us every time...I'm just glad they haven't told Dumbledore yet, we'd be expelled for harassing a teacher."

"Hermione. Do you have every rule memorized?" Ron asked.

"Probably," Harry muttered.

Hermione glared at both of them.

"Are you sure, headmaster, that it's wise to trust something like this to a young boy?" Snape asked, his voice filled with distrust, laced with anger.

His clothes and hair were still pink, and even Dumbledore was having trouble keeping a straight face about it.

"I trust Shuichi completely, Severus," Dumbledore said, smiling calmly, his light blue eyes shining behind his half-moon glasses.

He knocked on said fox's door, the redhead answered it, smiling his trademark calm smile, that smile that never revealed anything, but made you trust him anyway.

"Hello, headmaster," Kurama said, bowing politely as he let Dumbledore in. Snape snorted and took off down the hall.

Dumbledore shut the door behind him, waving his wand, muttering a silencing charm around the door so no one could eavesdrop...he wanted this news, if Kurama agreed, to be a surprise to the students. Kurama raised a crimson eyebrow at this action, but didn't question it.

"I have a small favor to ask of you, Kurama," Dumbledore said, using Kurama's true name since no one else could hear.

"What is it?"

"On Christmas Eve, the staff and I have decided it would be enjoyable to give the students a treat. We're planning another dance, only informal. I've heard you have some musical talent, Kurama?"

"Yes, headmaster...I can play the electric guitar, and sing..."

"Do you know anyone else who can play instruments?"

"Ah...yes. Yusuke can sing and play the keyboard, I believe, and I know of two others who might have musical talent. Why?"

"If possible, I believe the students would like it if you would be the band that played that night. I trust you're not lying about your talent," he smiled.

Kurama nodded, "Of course. I will get in touch with the other two."

"Goodbye then. I will supply the instruments," Dumbledore nodded and left the room.

Kurama grabbed his communicator (that isn't electronic, btw, that's why it works) and waited for the toddler's face to appear on-screen.

"Koenma...can you summon Hiei and Kuwabara?"

"Hn. This better be good," Hiei snapped, glaring at the redhead.

Kurama smiled, used to the hybrid's brash attitude, and quite unfazed by it. "This is only temporary, Hiei," he went on to explain the whole deal with the Christmas dance.

"No. Period. I will not be here just to entertain some worthless humans," Hiei said, his face set.

"Hiei...Mukuro needs no help in the Makai right now," Kurama lowered his voice, leaning down next to the demon, "I understand your concern for her. But I also need your help here. Only for a few months, after the dance, you can leave for the Makai."

Hiei growled, "If I get –one- hint of trouble with Mukuro-"

"You may leave immediately," Kurama nodded, "But she can take care of herself, I'm sure of it."

"You still haven't convinced me this is worth my time."

"Let me put it to yeh this way: if you don't stay, foxboy could possibly be exposed," Yusuke said irritably.

"Fine. But what makes you think I or the fool have any musical talent?" Hiei shot back.

"I don't think you have any, Hiei," Kurama said flatly, "But I know you could learn in a matter of weeks, maybe even days."

"And I know that Kuwabara can sing, and he can play the drums," Yusuke grinned, "So you're stuck here."

"Hn."

Suddenly, there was a knock on the door. Kurama could smell it was Dumbledore, and with a wave of his wand, the door opened by itself.

"You must be Hiei and Kuwabara," Dumbledore nodded at both of them.

Hiei snorted and muttered something Dumbledore couldn't understand. In fact, Kuwabara couldn't even understand it, because it wasn't Japanese. The language was that of Makai, Hiei's native tongue, the one he spoke with when conversing with demons...or, in this case, muttering insults.

Dumbledore glanced at the short, black-clad one that must be Hiei, judging by Kurama's description. There was an odd power radiating from him...something almost foreboding...it was something very similar to Kurama's aura, only much more aggressive, not so calm. Kurama's was like something lying in wait, a deadly beast ready to be released. Hiei's...his was as if that beast was walking beside him, the collar just ready to snap.

"So what d'you want?" Yusuke asked.

"I brought your instruments," Dumbledore reached into his robe and pulled out several small objects, setting them in seemingly strategic places on Kurama's office floor.

Yusuke and Kuwabara raised eyebrows at this.

"Uh...what's he doin'?" Kuwabara asked Kurama in Japanese.

Kurama smiled, "You will see."

Dumbledore pointed his wand at the objects, which were too small to make out any details on, and muttered a spell. Right before the tantei's eyes, the tiny, indistinguishable objects grew to full-size instruments.

Hiei rolled his eyes in a dull, unimpressed manner.

There was a drum set for Kuwabara, a plain keyboard and a keyboard with a special effects synthesizer for Yusuke, and two electric guitars, one each for Kurama and Hiei.

"You won't need electricity because of the spell I put on them," he smiled, "Enjoy."

And with that, he left the four alone.

"Alright, Hiei, it's time for your first lesson," Kurama handed Hiei one of the guitars and took one for himself. They were matching, sleek, shining and pitch black.

Almost six hours of straight playing later (Kurama had skipped lunch, and he had no other classes that day), Hiei had completely mastered his part of Eye to Eye, a song between him, Kurama and Kuwabara.

Yusuke came in after his classes to practice, and Kuwabara had practiced all day cause he was stuck in Kurama's office.

"Do you want to rehearse the entire song?" Kurama asked them. He got two nods, and one glare that meant 'yes' anyway.

(Start Eye to Eye.

Guitars: Kurama/Hiei (you'll know it's Kurama, cause when he plays, his guitar really screams)

Keyboard: Yusuke

Drums: Kuwabara

Vocals: All (but just Kurama, Hiei and Kuwabara for this particular song)

Hiei looked reluctant to sing, but he did, and it sounded perfect. He was in pitch, and hit the semi-high note at the end perfectly.

After the chorus, Kurama sang a line, surprising everyone with the strength of his usually soft voice.

After the next two verses and chorus...

Kurama sang the first line of the third chorus by himself, joined by Hiei with "I can get you," he replied, "You can get me," and then they sang one more line together before cutting into the fourth chorus with Kuwabara, and then they ended it.

By the third chorus, Hiei was smirking in that cocky was of his that meant he was enjoying himself. It was usually reserved for blood baths or sarcastic remarks, but Kurama was glad Hiei was having at least some fun with this.

Hiei cocked an eyebrow when Kurama handed him the script to the next song, Dark Side Stories.

"Artists in Reikai wrote all of these songs...apparently...they're fond of my demon form," Kurama couldn't help but raise an eyebrow at the line about silver hair.

Yusuke's music had the words on it, too, "'My heart of ice, it cannot be melted, my dark side'...'My heart of fire, cannot be extinguished, my dark side'...wow, this describes you two perfectly..." he smirked; "Anyway-"just then, there was a sharp tap at the window.

Sighing, he glanced back, to see a certain blue-haired ferry girl sitting sidesaddle on a boat oar in mid-air. He sighed and slid the large window open all the way so she could fly through.

"Hello boys!" she said happily, hovering with her toes a few inches above the stone floor, "Did you get the music alright? I thought the songs were quite well-written to all your personalities-"

"Hn. Before you get going on one of your infamous tangents, tell us why you're here," Hiei snapped.

Botan looked highly affronted, "Well I –came- for three reasons: one, to make sure you got the music alright," she held up a finger to emphasize her point, "two," she held up another finger, "because you're not going on-stage dressed like that!"

Everyone looked at her like she was nuts. Yusuke was wearing his black school robes (but refused to wear the hat), Kurama was wearing his black robes with the kimono-style sleeves and red sash he usually wore, Kuwabara was wearing his blue Sarayashiki uniform and Hiei was in his usual clothes, black cloak, black pants, black shirt underneath, black boots, white scarf and bandanna.

"What're you getting at, Botan?" Yusuke asked, glaring at her suspiciously.

"Oh, a complete make-over for all of you!"

She'd probably said the one statement scarier than, "The apocalypse is coming." Or maybe it was scarier. Depends what kind of apocalypse it is.

Either way, Hiei's red eyes were flaming with a promise of a slow and extremely painful death for the first person to come near him with clothes, shoes, a comb, anything of that sort. Especially Botan.

"Oh no, Botan!" Yusuke pointed an angry finger at her, "Stop right there...you're not coming anywhere NEAR me with ANY of that crap!"

"Come on, Yusuke! You'd look really good! I've got brand-name clothes and everything!" Botan pleaded.

"I can say this for all of us: no, no, no and NO."

"Hn. I hope that last one was mine, detective," Hiei said.

Suddenly Botan's pink eyes lit up with...something scary. Something that meant she'd thought of something to get them all to agree to this.

"Actually, Kurama, it was your mother who came up with the idea..."

"My mother knows I'm here?" the fox's soft tones were laced with worry.

"Of course not!" Botan exclaimed, shocked at his accusation, "But she did help me out with the shopping, along with Keiko! Shiori thinks you're studying in London and just putting on a show at a club tonight. Keiko knows the truth, of course."

"Keiko?! She's not here, is she?" Yusuke asked, his brown eyes roving around the room as if his girlfriend was about to pop out from the castle's yellowish stone.

Botan giggled, "Of course not! But someone special DID come along! That's reason number three, by the way," she added as an afterthought.

"I don't have anymore room in this office, Botan," Kurama said calmly. He gestured around the small room, which was already cramped with the five people currently in it (one hovering). He couldn't accommodate anyone else.

"She won't be staying in your office. Shizuru will be here tomorrow, Koenma specially requested she become a permanent part of this mission. Kuwabara and Hiei's transportation back to their own worlds has already been arranged for after the dance," Botan used her official, no-nonsense businesslike tone that usually got the tantei to listen.

"Why though?" Kurama asked, "Shizuru's current power is less than Kuwabara's."

"Well, actually her spirit sense is even more powerful," Botan said matter-of-factly (in the manga, it says Shizuru's spirit sense is more powerful than Kuwabara's), "So, she's coming partly to train, the magic in the air should help her along a little. Secondly...ah, well, Koenma actually said that was confidential information."

"Where is she gonna stay?" Kuwabara asked.

"The gamekeeper, Hagrid, has offered to let her sleep in a corner of his hut. Otherwise, she should be training or eating."

"Can we trust this guy? I mean, Shizuru isn't exactly a bad-looking girl..." Yusuke muttered.

"HEY! That's my SISTER you're talking about!" Kuwabara snapped, pointing an accusing finger at Yusuke.

"Geez, Kuwabara, it was a –compliment-..." Yusuke rolled his eyes and flopped down on the love seat, "Anyway, Kurama, do you trust him? I only see him in class."

"Yes, I view him as a very trustworthy man. At any rate, the headmaster trusts him with his life," Kurama chucked lightly, "And I believe Shizuru can take care of herself."

"Oh!" Botan clapped her hands together in an excited manner, "I almost forgot, she's also going to be singing backup with all of you on-stage! I have to go shopping for her now...bye!"

She waved cheerfully and zoomed out of the window, becoming nothing but a pink speck in the darkening sky...and after a moment, that was gone, leaving the sky blank and normal...

For a while.

-End Chapter-

Ok. THIS IS THE LAST TIME THE SONGS WILL BE MENTIONED.

To download all of the songs (except All Right!) go to h t t p : k u r a m a . a n g e l t o w n s . n e t - take out the spaces.

If you need the song All Right! you can email k u r a m a r o s e s y a h o o . c o m – take out the spaces. I WILL NOT SEND ANY OTHER SONG BUT 'ALL RIGHT!' BECAUSE THEY CAN BE DOWNLOADED from the site above.

I will not fulfill any song requests I haven't already, so please, download whatever songs you don't have. Here's the list of songs again:

Wild Wind – Kurama/Hiei

Eye to Eye – Kurama/Hiei/Kuwabara

Dark Side Stories – Youko Kurama/Hiei (note: make sure you have the version with the talking intro!)

Yasashisa wa Nemuranai – Kurama/Hiei/Yusuke/Kuwabara

Koori no Naifu o Daite – Kurama

Kurayami ni Akai Bara – Romantic Soldier - Kurama

Hikari no Naka de – Kurama/Hiei/Yusuke/Kuwabara

All Right! – Yusuke


	10. Tight Fittin' Jeans

Yep! I've been gone so long; you guys are getting TWO chapters!

People Who Care: YYYYYYYAAAAAAAAYYYYYYYYY!

-hands people who care their money for coming- Anyway, enjoy...

-Chapter 10, Tight Fittin' Jeans-

Shizuru had arrived the day after Botan's surprise visit. All she had with her were two suitcases, which were relatively small and light.

Kurama offered to stash the two suitcases in his closet. It was more than large enough to accommodate his hanging robes, muggle clothes, and her stuff, too. She wouldn't have any room in Hagrid's one-room cabin, anyway.

Shizuru yawned as she slapped the closet door shut, hearing the thump of the door smacking her suitcases farther into the closet. She snorted and flopped down on the couch, fishing around in the breast pocket to her white T-shirt for her cigarettes and lighter.

She pulled a slender cigarette from the box, which looked a little squished, and stuck it between her teeth. She flicked the wheel switch (that's what it looks like on my dad's lighters, anyway) on the back of the fluid-filled tube and watched as flames erupted.

This lighter was plain white plastic. Sakyou's golden lighter was safe in her suitcase...she never used it, but she always kept it with her.

She took her slender finger off the switch...as the flames disappeared, she dropped it back into her pocket, and it bulged slightly from the extra weight.

Shizuru took a deep drag and sighed, closing her coffee-colored eyes, resting her arm on the cushy armrest with the cigarette held delicately in between two fingers.

"Jet lag sucks..." she muttered, releasing the wispy gray smoke in small rings through her lips.

She had to inform Hagrid she'd arrived soon...after all; she was sleeping in the guy's house during her stay.

Speaking of her stay...why had Koenma ordered her to become a permanent part of this mission, anyway? It wasn't because she was going to sing backup, that much was obvious.

Maybe he really only wanted her to train...to get stronger. Why, though? She wasn't part of this team, and didn't take very well to the idea of risking her life to save the world on a regular basis. She'd already seen what power could do...break hearts, ruin lives, that's what.

Either way, this –was- the lord of the dead we're talking about...heh, it'd be fairly useful being on good terms with him when she died.

Shizuru yawned again and stuck the smoking cigarette between her lips, letting her head loll to the side comfortably.

She hadn't smoked in...what, 14-20 hours? She had no idea how long that flight from Japan had taken, but she hadn't been allowed to smoke. Stupid small planes...in her opinion, it was more dangerous to the other passengers –not- allowing her to smoke. Shizuru Kuwabara in withdrawal was not pretty.

Just then, the office door opened to reveal Hiei, looking extremely annoyed.

Shizuru opened one eye to look at him as he sat down on the armrest at the other side of the loveseat.

"Hey Hiei," she said, her usually clear, deep feminine voice sounding groggy.

"Hn," the demon drew his knees up to his chest and rested his head on them, leaving a small gap so they didn't press on his Jagan, and managed to keep perfect balance on the armrest.

"Hiei...Yukina wanted me to give you a message when I got here," Shizuru said shortly, twisting her body in the loveseat to face him.

Hiei raised his head, slanting his deep crimson orbs in a death glare, "How did you know?"

"I walked in while Yusuke was playing that tape in Kazuma's room."

"Only people with high spirit awareness could see that tape," Hiei snapped.

"My awareness is higher than Kazuma's. Tch, I'd figured you might have wanted to hear what she said."

"Hn. Fine, tell me," he put on an indifferent tone that didn't lead on to the real emotions he was feeling...did Yukina find out? Was she hurt?

"All she said was she was sorry she couldn't come, because she really wanted to see you."

'What? She –wants- to see me?' Hiei closed his eyes and rested his head on his knees again in an exhausted manner. Why such a pure, innocent, beautiful creature like Yukina would want to associate with someone like him at all was beyond him completely.

"I agree with Kurama-kun. You really should tell her, Hiei," Shizuru broke into his thoughts with a flat tone.

A low, menacing growl rose from the back of Hiei's throat as he glared at the human woman, his blazing red eyes locking with her calm coffee ones. "I told the detective, I told Kurama, she'll be happier this way!"

Shizuru shrugged, "She's not an idiot. She'll find out sooner or later."

"Hn. I'd rather that be later than sooner."

"I got everything! Kuwabara, go get Shizuru!" Botan's oar disappeared and she landed lightly on her feet in Kurama's office, her hands thrown in the air with triumph.

"Ok, but she's not gonna like this..." Kuwabara muttered as he left the room.

Kurama sighed as the door shut with a dull click behind the human boy, "I agree. Shizuru simply isn't the type for this sort of thing."

"I don't get why we gotta do this now!" Yusuke whined, "The dance isn't for a week!"

"I need to make sure all the sizes are correct, so I have time to replace the clothes that don't fit!" Botan said matter-of-factly, pointing a finger straight at Yusuke to emphasize her words.

Yusuke simply rolled his eyes, and glanced around the room with a dull look on his face.

'Where's Hiei? Feh...probably trying to avoid this...'

Yusuke snorted and slumped visibly, which is a hard thing to do, leaning on the back of a loveseat.

'Heck, -I- should be avoiding this!'

He sighed in a resigned, defeated way, closing his brown eyes as if waiting for the enemy soldiers to shoot him in the head. Mind, for Yusuke Urameshi, a makeover is probably worse than being shot in the head.

"Ok, so here's what I have planned!" Botan clapped her hands together excitedly and pointed to the pile of shopping bags she'd dragged into Kurama's office, (warning: I know –nothing- about clothes except what I see from commercials and stuff, so forgive me if none of this is 'in style'...it's just not something I care about it's just what I think would look good on them, really), "First, for all you boys except Hiei, I bought some jeans. I want Hiei to wear his normal pants...uh, where –is- Hiei anyway?"

Kurama shrugged when Botan looked his way. "I don't know."

Everyone turned their heads when loud shouts were heard outside the door.

"Do you want to DIE, woman?!" Definitely Hiei...

"Hiei, you're a part of this, and misery loves company," Shizuru snapped.

There was a low growl, and what sounded like a fist making contact with someone's body.

"HEY!" Kuwabara's gravelly voice, "Don't hit my sister!"

"Hn. Would you prefer I hit –you-?"

Then something like a loud, hard slap, and more growling, before the door was kicked open by a very pissed off and dangerous looking Shizuru, who was dragging Hiei by the arm, no less.

"Heh...I believe that's him..." Kurama chuckled innocently and casually linked his long, calloused fingers behind his head, sitting calmly with his legs crossed in the love seat. He looked both poised and casual, like only Kurama could.

Hiei sported a red slap mark on his left cheek, and Shizuru's sleeveless white tank top revealed a bluish bruise on her shoulder.

To Hiei's credit, he –did- punch her first...but she still got him good.

Snarling, growling, and cursing under his breath all at the same time, Hiei sat beside Kurama and folded his arms over his chest, his crimson eyes blazing with anger.

"O-kay..." Botan muttered in an unsure way, "Uh, anyway, so I've got all the clothes you're going to wear on-stage!"

"Hey, Botan, didn't you tell me 'complete makeover'?" Shizuru asked in the same innocent tone she'd used when stealing the Dark Tournament tickets from the green-skinned scalper.

Hiei snarled at her, and would have lunged at the woman had Kurama not held the demon's arm in a death grip.

"I did, but only the clothes today, I don't want to waste the other things I brought. Ok, boys, I reserved an unused classroom for today, so Shizuru and I will change in there, you guys can change in here," Botan snatched up a few shopping bags, "Your bags are all labeled," she said before grabbing Shizuru's arm and pulling her out of the room.

"We really gotta do this?" Kuwabara asked, sounding miserable.

Kurama sighed, "I suppose we should humor her..."

Yusuke snorted, "Fine...you and your stupid...err...niceness, foxboy...here," he grabbed a shopping bag with a tag that read "Kurama" and tossed it across the room to the fox.

Because of the wonderful laws of physics, the clothes didn't fall out of the bag as it was thrown to him. Kurama snatched the paper handle in mid-air and opened it to see what was inside.

Several shirts...a few different pairs of jeans...hm, didn't look too bad. No neon colors, at least.

Shrugging, he untied his red sash and hung it over the side of the couch, of which he was now standing behind, and then pulled his black robes over his head, revealing plain black pants and a dark navy blue t-shirt.

He stripped down to his white boxers, which were more like shorts anyway, so it really didn't matter to him.

(ok...I feel that you fangirls should be able to take a break and swoon over –this- scene... I'll give you ten seconds XD

10...9...8...7...6...5...4...3...2...1

ok, wipe your mouths, slap your faces if you're in a trance, and keep on reading )

He dug around in the bag and pulled out a pair of stonewash jeans.

(ok, let's take a brief moment to ponder my complete ignorance in clothes...I had to ask my 11-yr-old little sister because I didn't know what the term 'stonewash' meant...right, so don't whack me or anything if the clothes the YYH gang are going to wear are out of style or something...)

'They look a little small' he thought. Ah well, looks can be deceiving.

He slid the belt out from the loops and hung it over the side of the couch and unzipped and unbuttoned the front. He hopped onto the back of the couch, and slid the jeans on over his legs.

They stopped 'sliding' when they reached his knee.

Quirking a crimson eyebrow, Kurama tugged again. Nothing.

"Gah! I'm going to KILL her!" Yusuke snarled, seemingly out of the blue.

Kurama glanced back to see what was the problem.

Yusuke was lying on his back on the floor, his legs almost straight up in the air while he tried to pull his black jeans on.

Kuwabara grinned, "Gain a little weight, Urameshi?"

"Feh! Shut up, Kuwabara!"

Yusuke gave one final tug, and the jeans slid right on. He heaved a deep sigh, panting, and then started to wrestle with the button and zipper.

Hiei rolled his blood red eyes and folded his arms across his chest. He was rather comfortable, lying on the loveseat, completely stretched out, while groans and grunts from Yusuke told him the zipper was winning the wrestling match.

Meanwhile, behind the loveseat, Kurama had taken to using the same method as Yusuke to get his jeans on.

The only difference? He was winning his wrestling match. By pinching the fabric beneath the zipper, he got the desired effect of it zipping right up.

He pulled himself to his feet and started pacing behind the loveseat to get the tight jeans to loosen up a little. They almost looked painted on.

He bent his knees, stretched his legs and paced with long, exaggerated steps in an effort to stretch the fabric.

Hiei glanced up at him, "Tight?"

"In every sense of the word..."

Eventually, Yusuke did get his jeans on, and they all found a shirt they could live with...except Hiei. He hadn't touched his bag since Botan left with Shizuru.

Speaking of the hyperactive ferry girl...

"He-llo boys!" she shouted happily as she burst through the door, thankfully everyone was dressed.

Shizuru was in tow, dressed in the clothes Botan had bought her: a black jean mini-skirt (with shorts underneath) complete with black leather belt, and an extremely low-cut white long-sleeved blouse with a white tank top underneath to cover her up more.

"Oh, you all look great!" Botan exclaimed. She was dressed in her pink kimono, seeing as she wasn't coming to the dance. There were souls she had to take to spirit world. "Wait, Hiei, you're not wearing anything new..."

"Hn. You expected any less of me?"

Botan sighed...she knew there was no arguing with Hiei when his mind was set. "You can wear that then, just not the cloak...ok, so what did you think of the clothes?"

"I got two words for you: too tight," Yusuke stood up (with some difficulty) and walked up to her in hopes of showing the stiffness and way-too-tightness of the jeans.

"Wear them for a few hours, and by tomorrow they'll be more comfortable, don't worry. Anyway, you all look great, so I'll see you the day of the dance to help you!" Botan waved and dashed out the door before anyone could stop her.

Yusuke shook his head, "We all look like some rich rockers or something..."

He was wearing the stonewash jeans (his fingers were skinned a little from that tricky little zipper, Yusuke had to demand a rematch), a loose cream shirt, tucked in, and a black, leather waist-length jacket.

Kurama was wearing the same jeans and a sleeveless black shirt with two white lightning bolts going across the shirt at an angle. On both of his arms, he wore plain leather arm warmers.

Kuwabara was wearing black jeans and a plain white t-shirt with a black leather jacket...and Hiei, of course, was wearing his usual clothes.

Kurama glanced at Yusuke and shrugged. He began fiddling with the arm warmers...the leather wasn't all that comfortable, really...stupid things...

Shizuru sighed, and it was then everyone finally noticed her.

"Shizuru!" Kuwabara's mouth hung open, "What are you WEARING?!"

Shizuru snorted, "What Botan stuffed me into, that's what."

"My sister is NOT wearing a skirt like that!"

"Then you better disown me, baby bro, cause if I don't wear it Botan will drag me off shopping."

Yep. Needless to say, no one was really happy about this makeover thing, and tomorrow, more classes for Yusuke and Kurama, more training for Shizuru and Hiei (who was her trainer), and more practicing but otherwise being really bored for poor Kuwabara.

But first, the mission...was to get –out- of the new clothes.

-End Chapter-

A little rambling here, a little useless, but it was basically needed to fill the plot up a bit...I hope some of it made you laugh, too, but I usually suck at humor, so. Ch 11 will be coming soon, with more appearances by Harry n' co. and magic and...stuff...lol


	11. Dreams & Blood

**Sorry for the wait, I had a bad case of writer's block. See? -_points to cement block remains and mallet_- Anyway, sorry for the lack of lines to signal scene changes in the last chapter... the ones I put in must've been deleted. And, just so no one is confused, italics represent dreams, emphasis, flashbacks _and_ individual thoughts from now on. **

**Excuse any spelling mistakes and such...I'm still stuck with WordPad...-_whacks it_-**

**::11::Dreams & Blood::**

_"I have the information. Low-class pawns are the easiest of prey..."_

_A cold, deep laugh rang through the shack as bright silver tresses swung with the tall man's smooth, elegant movements. His furry silver ears twitched, swiveling foreward towards the pale, red-eyed man in front of him. _

_"You've proven very useful, Kurama. Don't think your ef-"_

_"I suggest your mentality changes...I am not your subordinate, so do not speak to me as such. Remember, I am far superior to you in any aspect you may think of, Voldemort, the only reason you have my services is for your brand of magic," the kitsune's deep tones were laced with venom, spoken slowly so the wizard wouldn't miss a single word. His pride was not going to be compromised by a demon wannabe._

_Voldemort looked slightly surprised at the domineering words, but shrugged it off. "Ah...so what did you get out of him, Kurama?"_

_"Lily and James Potter are using a charm to hide themselves," he gave the exact address of the Potters. _

_Voldemort's thin, pale lips spread into a sadistic smile as Kurama finished. "Is Pettigrew here?" he asked, trying to keep the excitement out of his voice._

_"Yes..." Kurama chuckled darkly, "tied up outside. My Snakevine is guarding him."_

_"Good. I may need him later."_

_"Oh, and Voldemort..."_

_"Yes?"_

_"I'm accompanying you...I want to see the power your magic will bring me..."_

Brilliant emerald orbs shot open, only to have the blackness of night press in painfully. Blinking rapidly, he rubbed his temples with his calloused fingers, trying to adjust to the sudden darkness. The little shack had seemed so bright compared to this...

He pushed himself up into a sitting position, ignoring his blanket as it slid off his knees into a crumpled heep at his feet. Sighing, he hung his head in an exhausted manner, closing his eyes slowly as the details of the dream memory were called up from the recessses of his mind in vivid detail. He remembered the journey to the ningenkai - the kekkai wasn't as strong back then, it allowed middle-A class demons on down through, and Kurama hadn't gained any higher status than that, he was sure - he remembered the Potters' house, the flash of green light that destroyed it all, the screams...

He knew Koenma couldn't charge him with breaking any laws, either. Kurama hadn't technically killed Lily and James, despite the fact he deserved a life sentence in a Reikai prison cell.

He slid back down into his bed, pulling the covers tight around his shoulders when a piercing ring blared from the communicator on his nightstand.

Irritated, he reached up and snatched it off the smooth wooden surface, flipping it open to reveal Koenma.

"Sorry to bother you so early, Kurama, but this is urgent. Recent readings of the ningenkai stated that Voldemort is getting ready to send a whole wave of dementors and low-class demons into London! Harry Potter is not ready to face this yet on his own, his emotions aren't under enough control yet, and his powers are undeveloped. You and Yusuke will need to help fight the dementors off, and to do that..." Koenma let his sentence trail off as he chewed his pacifier compulsively.

Kurama's green eyes narrow, "Don't tell me...Koenma..."

"You'll need to tell him your secret."

"Koenma, Harry knowing I and Yusuke are demons could jeopardize this mission. I doubt Harry will be as trusting as Yusuke was when I divulged my true identity to him."

"You'll need to take that chance, because Harry cannot do this alone! Not even with his two other friends to help him, he needs stronger reinforcements!"

Kurama sighed, tiredly running his hand through his silky crimson lengths, "Very well. Christmas break starts tomorrow, so it will be a half-day. I will tell Harry after his classes."

"Good. And make sure Hiei knows the law about killing humans isn't lifted just because he's training Shizuru!"

Kurama actually had to smile at that comment. Hiei was not as tough as one would think when it came to his friends. He had too much honor for that - though he'd never admit it, especially since he constantly condemned Kuwabara's code. "Don't worry about Hiei, Koenma. Shizuru will be alright."

"Ok. Good night then!"

The communicator's screen blinked the still image of Koenma severel times before going black, emitting a soft whirring sound as it did so. Kurama set it back on his nightstand and settled back into bed, deciding to borrow Dumbledore's pensieve (sp?) in the morning. His mind felt more heavy and burdened than ever, and it wouldn't get any better when he had to face the boy he helped make an orphan.

Kurama glanced over at Kuwabara...and sweatdropped.

The boy had slept through the entire conversation.

000000000000000

"Get up."

He prodded the woman's side with his black boot, folding his muscular arms across his chest and narrowing his blood red eyes. She didn't move a muscle - either because she was awake and didn't want him to know, or she was truly asleep - but it didn't matter either way, she was getting up and _now_. He had better things to do than train some weak human woman...well, not really, except patroling the castle grounds like Kurama had asked him to do time to time. But he didn't want to deal with someone like Shizuru at the moment.

"_Now_," he snarled lowly, roughly grabbing the back of her neck and jerking her into a sitting position.

Her coffee eyes popped open, immediately narrowing. "And what the hell do you think you're doing, Hiei?" she asked flatly.

"Get up," Hiei repeated, releasing her neck and standing up, looking down at her with critical eyes.

Irritated, Shizuru swept away the light, silky brown locks that had fallen into her face, tucking them behind her ear. She picked up a knee-length white bathrobe she kept by her bed and slipped her arms into the warm sleeves, tying it tightly around her waist.

Hiei pivoted swiftly on his heel and, without even sparing Shizuru a glance, walked right out the wooden door of Hagrid's shabby little hut to the blistering winter cold outside. The half-giant got up at 4:30 to go do his rounds around the Hogwarts grounds, and judging by the fact he wasn't here, Shizuru guessed it was at least past 4:30.

She snorted and pulled on the sneakers she kept by her bed, tying them up sloppily, not bothering with socks as she hurried to catch up to Hiei. All her clothes were in Kurama's office, so this was basically a morning routine: get into the castle before anyone else woke up, dress, shower, etc and then screw off for the rest of the day. She'd gotten here only yesterday, so today was officially the start of her training.

Joy.

0000000000000000

Shizuru nearly fell over when she saw the wall clock in Kurama's office.

4:56 AM.

Holy. Frickin'. Crap.

"Hiei..." she said weakly, gesturing to the clock with a disbelieving look on her face.

Hiei simply smirked and nodded, a sign that he was NOT mistaken to have gotten her up so early.

Shaking her head, Shizuru went into the closet and flipped open her suitcase, pulling out a pair of loose black sweatpants, a white T-shirt and a very loose but thick gray sweater to put over the shirt. It was freezing outside.

Kurama's bedroom was located in the room next to this one (his actual office), adjoined by a door. The door to his bathroom, however, was in his office, so she needn't tiptoe into the bedroom to change. Kuwabara slept on a sleeping bag in Kurama's bedroom, Hiei was supposed to sleep in Kurama's bedroom but usually ended up in trees, and Yusuke slept in the fifth year dorm. Shizuru, being the only femme, was stuck in Hagrid's cabin - Dumbledore just wouldn't allow her to sleep in the same room as two other boys (Kuwabara not counted, he IS her brother).

She changed as quickly as possible before following Hiei back outside. Her hair was now up in a high ponytail so it wouldn't get in the way, pulled back tightly so no bangs would fall in her eyes.

0000000000000000

Jumping smoothly into one of the trees on the outskirt of the Forbidden Forest, a loud crack was heard as he snapped off a branch. It was about an inch thick and a yard long, harsher than the bamboo "sword" he used on Kuwabara, but he'd already gone through some training beforehand. Shizuru needed to get powerful, quickly, and though she was a tough one, she hadn't gotten any training - formal or otherwise - before. So harsher methods were required in this case.

He landed silently on the snow-whitened ground below, the stick raised, clutched tightly in his calloused hand like a real sword.

Shizuru's right leg instinctively slid backwards to steady herself, and her eyes were fixed solely on Hiei. She didn't view him as one to care about hitting girls like Kazuma, and wasn't stupid enough to underestimate his strength based on stature.

Hiei rushed at her in a black blur she could barely see, and he smashed the stick hard into her stomach, sending her flying ten feet into the nearest tree.

Blood flowed freely over her tongue, the coppery smell and taste invading her senses and making her cough up even more of the thick red liquid. It dripped slowly down her chin, dotting her gray sweater crimson as she fought to stand up, but Hiei got there first. He swung a kick at her back, smashing her headfirst into the freezing snow.

"Your spirit energy is trying to come out, I can feel it!" Hiei snapped, his boot landing another kick, to her side this time.

A loud, sickening crack rang in both Hiei and Shizuru's ears, clearly saying something had snapped or cracked. Shizuru couldn't hold back the yelp of pain that shot out of her mouth, along with a good deal more blood. The snow beneath her was already stained a deep crimson, the red beginning to seep to the snow around the rest of her body so she was almost lying in a puddle of her own blood.

Her side was bleeding from Hiei's relentless kicks, and her back was skinned from the harsh tree bark slicing at her even though she had a thick sweater on...so where was this spirit energy she supposedly had?

00000000000000000

By this time, Kurama had already started his first class of 5th year Gryffindors and Ravenclaws. He knew Hiei had taken Shizuru out to train, but even he couldn't see where. The fire-ice hybrid had chosen a place that could not be seen from a window in the castle, which was good, because the students needn't know about the foreign guests. Kuwabara, Hiei and the others had kept low profiles during their stay, only really exploring the castle and such during Hogsmeade weekends (which, because of Voldemort, the teachers escorted the students everywhere), but they had to be careful even then because second years on down weren't allowed to go.

However, he could faintly smell the coppery aroma of blood, and it was a human's...Shizuru was obviously getting a harsh treatment from Hiei, but Kurama knew it would be worse without Hiei's honor. Shizuru's life was in good hands, despite what she may think now.

"Alright, class, take out your wands..."

00000000000000000

She could barely move, what with the possibly broken rib and all. There was a chance it could just be cracked, but with the force from that kick, Shizuru doubted it.

She had managed to get up from her bloody puddle and face off with Hiei, though she had a gut feeling it wasn't her quick relfexes that'd gotten her back on her feet.

Her breath came in long, ragged gasps, but she refused to give up until she was knocked out. She was determined to at least show a LITTLE spirit energy in the first lesson.

Sighing, she tried to calm her body and muscles down. Every movement stung like the seven hells, but she tried her best to ignore the pain and stay in a balanced defensive stance, something she'd seen and remembered from the tournament.

"You have to control your spirit energy, Shizuru, don't expect it to come out on it's own!"

Shizuru scowled and spat out the blood pooling in her mouth, roughly wiping her chin and lips with the sleeve of her already heavily stained sweater.

"Your body knows this fight will not kill you, and is saving your energy for the healing process. I suggest you quickly take control of that and try to attack me!"

He was giving her clues, she just knew it! The problem was how to use them... He kept saying to 'control' it, which meant she had to find it somehow.

But no time for this as Hiei rushed at her again, this time he put on his full speed. Shizuru was barely able to see the black blur as he kneed her in the stomach, sending even more torrents of blood spurting from her mouth as she collapsed to the ground.

"Hn. You're weak," he said tonelessly.

She spat out droplets of blood, the coughing burning her already scratched up throat. But anger and resentment was boiling the blood left in her veins, and suddenly she felt warmth around her body.

Her coffee eyes widen as she looked at herself, a faint, thin pearl white aura was coursing around her, wild and uncontrolled, useless if she couldn't harness it properly.

Hiei smirked, "Good..."

**::End Chapter::**


	12. Too Hard to Handle

**::12::Too Hard to Handle::**

"...dismissed."

There was a loud bang of books, scraping of chairs and zipping open of backpacks and bags as the students stuffed their belongings together as quickly as possible, eager to escape their last class until Christmas break was over.

"Yusuke," Kurama's voice, usually soft, but full of wisdom and confidence, seemed weak today, as if his mind was on something else during the entire class.

Yusuke left his books where they were and went to his friend's desk, his eyebrows slanted with worry. He wasn't stupid - something was wrong, and it had to be something big to affect Kurama like this.

"Bring Harry, Ron and Hermione to my office in fourty-five minutes," he said shortly, "Koenma has decided it is time for us both to reveal our secrets...and we will not get Harry without his friends."

Yusuke nodded silently. He wasn't as protective of his identity as Kurama was, and really didn't care who knew that he was a hanyou. But there was something different about this time...he could feel it, though he couldn't indentify the emotion.

Kurama grabbed his wand and left the room without another word, without glancing back at Yusuke...he didn't want his friend to see the coldness his eyes showed right now, the pure emotionless, icy gaze, his trademark stare years ago, usually the last thing anyone ever saw of him.

Yusuke felt a shiver run up his spine as the last black fold of the kitsune's robes disappeared around the doorway. Shaking his head, he quickly gathered up his books and ran up several flights of stairs to the Gryffindor Tower, where he knew Harry and his friends would be.

**000000**

"Snape."

The greasy-haired Professor glanced back to the source of the voice, and his cold black eyes locked with stoic emeralds, belonging to the 16-yr-old teacher standing in the dungeon's doorway with his arms folded over his chest. His stance made Snape's eyes narrow suspiciously - it was commanding, superior and confident, perfectly matching the dangerous flicker that flashed through the boy's wise green orbs.

"_Snape_."

His name was repeated again, with more force this time, jerking the potions master out of his suspicion-induced daze.

"What?" he snapped back, swiveling around in his chair so he didn't have to crane his neck over his shoulder to see the redhead.

"How long would it take you to brew an age-regressing potion?" Kurama asked tonelessly, being careful to hide his emotions and not let onto anything. He himself had some experience with potions, but simple medicinal herbal mixes were his speciality, not complicated potions that re-arranged the body's very building blocks.

Snape blinked, caught off-guard, but quickly regained his cold composure. "Half an hour," he said.

Kurama nodded, though he was slightly surprised at the short amount of time. He'd suspect such a complicated potion would take weeks or months, but it really all depended on the ingredients.

"Bring it up to my office when it is ready."

"Why?" Snape asked defiantly, not happy at all at being bossed around by someone who wouldn't even be considered a full-fledged wizard in this country, let alone a DADA professor.

"I need it. Please do not make me explain, Snape," Kurama said. Then he turned and left the room, his pitch black robes billowing out behind him, further accenuating the ominous air hanging around him.

**000000**

Outside, Shizuru was still a bloody mess, with her wild pearl-white aura flowing around her like a thin blanket and Hiei looming over her threateningly, looking ready to strike her again at any second.

So, it's quite simple, she had to strike first.

She couldn't physically take control of her ki, so mentally was the way to go!

Concentrating her energy into her right fist, she balled up her fingers and watched wth amazement as her energy started to flow to her hand, gathering around it like a glowing white orb.

Immediately Hiei zoomed backwards, but Shizuru was now on the offensive. She rushed at him with ki-induced speed, ignoring the stabbing pains that now shot through her entire body.

She swung her fist at his head, but Hiei was way too fast and easily dodged it. But he was smirking now, as if in satisfaction.

"Hn. Better, now actually _try_ to hit me," he snapped, raising the sword-stick like he was about to deal a heavy blow.

Shizuru scowled and muttered something that sounded like "bastard" under her breath.

Hiei swung the stick to her side again, but this time Shizuru was ready. Her ki rushed through her body as if a dam had broken loose, and flared up at the would-be contact point, flashing a barrier that a mere stick could never break through. The sword-stick splintered in Hiei's hand, sending several long, slender wood pieces flying through his flesh.

Hiei barely felt it. He slowly raised his hand as blood started seeping out of the wounds, the thick crimson liquid slowly flowing along the thick callouses like a morbid spider's web.

Shizuru could feel something was coming even before a small amount of Hiei's you-ki was concentrated on his hand. The splinters were surrounded by an icy blue and purple light before shooting out of his hand like arrows shot by a master archer. Shizuru's instincts made her duck at just the right time, so the splinters zoomed right over her head, disturbing several light brown strands of hair, and lodging themselves in the tree several feet behind her. They stuck inches into the trunk, and no longer looked quite as feeble as they used to.

Suddenly, Shizuru felt her blood pumping as it rushed to her head, making it throb painfully. She bit back a groan of pain as dizziness made the snow-covered world around her swirl uncontrollably, and she no longer knew which way was up or down. Her coffee eyes rolled, and she fell into the icy snow, as her pearl-white aura absorbed back into her body.

Hiei snorted. She used up too much energy too fast...she didn't know how to control it, nor how much to use at once for different attacks. She'd have to learn to gauge that soon.

With a small grunt, Hiei lifted her somewhat off the ground by her waist, positioning his grip so as to not aggravate her injured rib, and otherwise dragged her back to Hagrid's hut.

**000000**

Kurama sat in his office, glancing at the clock hanging on his wall. A half hour had passed, Snape should be here with his potion soon...

Hopefully he wouldn't have to use it, as age-regressing with that sort of potion was quite painful, he'd much rather use the Fruit of the Previous Life, which just left an icy sensation as it pumped like adrenaline through the veins but was otherwise painless. Unfortunately, there was no time to contact reikai, so he'd have to make do.

His body stiffened slightly as the office door was pushed open by none other than Snape, who wordlessly set a goblet full of opaque black liquid on his desk, pivoted on his heel and left the room.

Unfazed by the professor's coldness, Kurama gave the potion a wary look and shook his head. Now he _really_ hoped he didn't have to use it...

**000000**

"Just shut UP and come ON!" Yusuke snapped, his brown eyes slanted in a glare at the three wizards before him.

"I'm not going anywhere NEAR his office!" Hermione replied, hands on her hips, "He probably just wants to get us back or something!"

"Are you kidding?! My f-...uh, UNCLE, isn't that petty!"

The trio obviously didn't notice Yusuke's near messup, because Harry just sighed and nodded reluctantly. "Let's just go..." he said, nodding to Yusuke, who roughly pushed the door to the common room open (with a few squeals of protests from the Fat Lady).

They swiftly walked through the castle, down to the floor where Kurama's office was.

Yusuke didn't even have to knock, Kurama must have smelled them coming because he opened the door just as Yusuke was about to.

He closed the door behind them and sat behind his desk, with Yusuke pulling up a chair beside the desk and twisting it around so he sat with his legs on either side and his chin resting on the back of the chair.

"Why are we here?" Harry asked almost defiantly.

"Please. Let us do the talking, and ask questions afterwards," Kurama said, sounding exhausted, but also like he was trying to hide it.

The trio nodded in agreement, and Yusuke started talking.

"To put it real shortly, a year ago, I was hit by a car and died. But the spirit world wasn't ready for me yet, so I was given another chance, but in exchange I'm the spirit detective of the world-"

"What?!" Ron couldn't help his outburst.

"...Shut up! Basically, my first case was a theft of the reikai's most guarded vault," Yusuke nodded to Kurama.

"It was me and two others that had robbed the reikai," Kurama said, "In truth, this teenager's body you see is but a disguise. I am truly a kitsune - a demon fox - and my true name is Youko Kurama."

The three young wizards' mouths were hanging open, and Harry looked like he was dying to ask questions, but knew better.

"Yeah," Yusuke said, "I took care of the first guy, but then I went to arrest Kurama. He , I guess, so he was put on probation. The next one, Hiei, damn, that was one hell of a fight. The only reason I didn't die again was cause Kurama took the sword that was meant to shishkabob me."

"To make a long story short," Kurama said, smiling slightly at Yusuke, "Hiei and I were both ordered to help Yusuke on his missions in lieu of a reikai prison sentence. That is why we are here - to help Dumbledore protect the school."

There was a very short silence, quickly broken by Harry, who assumed they were allowed to ask questions now.

"So...you died, and you're a demon? Ok...why do you look like a human then?" he asked.

"As I said before, this body is simply a disguise - a shell, if you will - because truly I am completely inhuman. I was a famous thief...but a fatal mistake allowed a bounty hunter to shoot me, and I ripped my soul from my body with my last remaining energy and merged with a souless, unborn child. I intended to leave after ten years, that is when my power would return, but my mother fell ill and I could not leave her."

"What's this got to do with us?" Hermione asked, her voice unusually breathy with shock.

"Voldemort (Ron flinched) is planning to send a wave of dementors and low-class demons from the Makai - the demon world. You and your friends, Hermione, are not powerful enough to fight them. Yusuke and I will be joined in the fight as well," Kurama replied calmly.

"How'd you learn how to use a wand?" Harry asked, his voice hard with disbelief, "And can you prove you're a demon?"

Kurama froze. He was hoping that question would not come up - but if he refused to answer, Harry would most certainly never trust him or Yusuke, and the fight would be that much more difficult.

So, he gently grasped the goblet on his desk in one slender hand, and drank it down in several gulps.

Standing up, he staggered slightly as he walked to the middle of the room.

Suddenly, an unbearable pain built up in his stomach, coursing through his entire body and bringing him to his knees, forcing him to double over so his forehead touched the floor and his long crimson lengths fell about his shoulders and face, like a fiery curtain.

He bit back the screams of pain that so wanted to escape his throat as his breathing grew shallow and ragged. Slowly, his own light blue, misty aura enveloped his body, preventing anyone from seeing the transformation that took place. As his energy increased, white clouds began swirling wildly in the blue mass, sending off sparks of black lightning and startling the wizards in the room.

Finally, a slender, white fox, adorned with red eyes brighter and more intense than a million rubies matierialized in the swirling mass of energy, letting out a piercing shriek that made Harry and the others cover their ears as they throbbed painfully at the bone-chilling cry. Luckily this office was sound-proof.

The blue energy rolled away, revealing a 7-foot, leanly muscled man, with large fox ears set atop his head, silky silver, waist-length tresses and a matching silver tail swishing slowly behind him.

"Is this enough proof for you?" a deep, sly-sounding voic filled the room like a coming storm, dangerous and tricky, a devious beast whose mind games were un-winnable.

Harry, Hermione and Ron stared in amazement at the fox before them, unable to speak.

They wanted to stare, their awe at this incredible creature overwhelmed them, yet they also wanted to run, as the dangerous aura from Youko Kurama could make almost anyone feel inferior.

Kitsunes are considered the most beautiful creatures in any of the three worlds - especially the pure silver species like Kurama - yet they are also feared for their power and intellect. They are able to outwit almost anyone, and with careful training some can become super S-class youkai.

"You asked how I learned to use a wand," Youko continued, unfazed by the wizards' stares, "I learned from Voldemort."

Harry found his voice. "You...worked with Voldemort?!"

"Yes," Youko said tonelessly, "In exchange for teaching me how to use a wand...I beat the Potters' location out of Peter Pettigrew. An easy task for such a useful skill...he was a coward."

In a split second, Harry had his wand pointed at the fox's heart, his green eyes blazing with such intense fury, his anger was almost tangible.

Youko chuckled darkly, his cold amber eyes holding sadistic amusement at the boy. But that coldness started to fade, and the kitsune slowly closed his eyes. He felt his human shell re-erecting again...

"My time grows short...Shuichi is returning..."

A very fine, translucent blue-white mist now surrounded the fox, and his body almost went limp as his redheaded human form took the place of the 7-foot, silver-haired Youko.

"Harry...three people were involved in the murder of your parents: Voldemort, Peter Pettigrew...and me."

Harry's hand was shaking uncontrollably, his wand wavering in the air as he tried and failed to steady himself. Kurama seemed quite unfazed that a wand was pointed threateningly at his heart...but there was something in those wise green orbs Harry couldn't place. He couldn't bring himself to say a spell (though he had a feeling this fox wouldn't be hurting much even if he could)...but the dangerous aura of the thief remained, confusing Harry. So was this guy evil, or not?

Suddenly, Kurama's breath caught in his throat. He felt his wind pipe collapsing, and fought to breathe. A coughing fit suddenly wracked his entire body, forcing him onto his knees again. His chest burned, and his green eyes rolled as he slipped into blackness, aware of only the shout of "KURAMA!" from Yusuke.

"Dammit, he's having a seizure or something!" Yusuke rushed to his fallen friend, who was indeed shaking violently on the floor, "Did you do anything?!" he turned a penetrating gaze to Harry, who shook his head, apparently lost for words.

"M-maybe it was in t-there..." Hermione weakly pointed to the goblet on Kurama's desk.

"KUSO! Kurama..." Yusuke started rambling in rapid Japanese, shaking Kurama's shoulders, but the kitsune stayed silent.

"Hn. It was poison, detective, but it won't kill him."

Yusuke's brown eyes widened as he slowly turned to see the short hybrid demon calmly sitting on the window sill like he'd been there for hours.

"H-Hiei?" Yusuke sighed with relief, releasing his grip on Kurama's shoulders and shaking his head.

Harry blinked, slowly lowering his hand. When did that guy get in...?

Hermione and Ron were equally stunned. This was just too much to take in one sitting. Not to mention both Hiei and Yusuke were still speaking Japanese, which they couldn't understand.

"A small wave of low-class demons and dementors are on their way here," Hiei switched to English so everyone understood, "I expect them to cross over to the ningenkai to the outskirts of these grounds in approximently 7 hours."

**::End Chapter::**


	13. The Emerald Elixir

**Now that the tantei and the wizards are interacting more, here's a dialogue key:**

"English"

"Japanese"

"**Makai tongue**"

**The inhabitants of Reikai speak in such a way that anyone can understand them, so their speech will be in normal " ".**

**::13::The Emerald Elixir::**

Yusuke's mouth moved soundlessly as he tried to speak, but current events had his mind reeling faster than a windmill during a hurricane. First, one of his best friends is poisoned, and now he's told a wave of demons was coming in seven hours?! Whoever came up with 'when it rains, it pours' must have been looking into Yusuke's life.

"Seven...SEVEN HOURS?" he managed to shout.

"Hn. Yes, detective, and you need to get your emotions under control. What did Kurama drink?"

"I dunno...I don't even know what he drank during the Ankoku Butjutsukai."

Hiei snorted in annoyance and jumped down from the window sill, landing with a slight thump as the hard, flat heels of his black boots collided with the yellow stone floor. Roughly snatching the goblet from Kurama's desk, he lifted the cup and let a drop of the black liquid fall onto his lips. Licking them clean, his crimson eyes narrowed at the taste.

"What is it?" Yusuke asked cautiously.

"Absinthe was mixed in with the potion," Hiei said flatly, switching to English.

"Absinthe?!" obviously Hermione knew something Yusuke didn't, because he had a blank look on his face whereas she looked horrifed, "That stuff is horrible!"

"Well what the hell is it?!" Yusuke snapped, impatience and anger obvious in his tone.

"Liquor. 94 alcohol, mixed with wormwood and sugar," Hermione said matter-of-factly.

"94?! That's almost pure!"

"Yes, and wormwood is a strong hallucagenic. It reacted negatively with the age-regressing potion and created a more lethal poison," Hiei said, carelessly tossing the goblet in the general direction of Kurama's desk. It landed with a loud clatter and bounced off, only to land on the floor behind the kitsune's chair. The small portion slowly began seeping out, staining the yellow stone floor a sickly grayish wheat color.

"How the hell do we cure him then?!" Yusuke snarled.

"We can't," Hermione spoke up again, earning everyone's attention.

Those two words plunged like daggers into both Yusuke and Hiei's hearts. So did this mean Kurama would die? Hiei's eyes suddenly iced over into a hell-freezing glare as he looked at Hermione, locking his blood stone eyes with her brown ones.

"What does that mean?" he said slowly, his deep voice low and deadly.

Hermione bit her lip, currently Hiei had frightened the living daylights out of her. He looked ready to slice her open with a single glance...

Even so, she forced herself to speak, "H-he has to r-ride it out..."

"How deadly is this stuff?" Yusuke asked, his voice unusually high as he fought to keep it from cracking.

"I don't know...alcohol doesn't usually mix well with potions, though, we've only used small amounts of wine in advanced potions," she said, "and Absinthe is a really strong drink. He might get hallucinations and vomiting."

"Sounds nice," Yusuke spat.

"It's good if he does," Hiei pointed out, "it means the posion is coming out of his system. But he needs more energy, I can feel his draining..."

"Fine," Yusuke laid Kurama so he was flat on the floor, and carefully placed his hands on the kitsune's chest. Closing his dark brown eyes, bright, icy blue and white energy started to pool around his palms and fingers. Kurama's chest then started to glow as his body slowly started absorbing the needed energy, but this was draining Yusuke. He fought to concentrate and keep consciousness as his energy flowed out of him, but it was too much.

"Hiei...take over..." were the last things he managed to slur out before he collapsed, falling over Kurama as his body let out.

"Hn. Looks familiar," Hiei muttered, recalling the time Kuwabara did the same thing for Yusuke. The Jaganshi dragged Yusuke off of Kurama, lying the detective beside the fox flat on his back. His crimson eyes widened briefly as the emeralds Kurama could call eyes were slowly, painstakingly opened, only to be clouded over with shock from the incredible pain in his gut.

The kitsune rolled over onto his stomach, his eyes fixated on the golden stone floor. His expression had evened over with disturbing suddeness, to be replaced with a dark, calculating look that didn't even suit his youkai amber gaze.

Hiei's eyes narrowed suspiciously. The Absinthe was obviously powerful, to dilute Kurama's mind like that. It better not leave any permanent damage, or that potions teacher was way past dead. He snorted in disgust and bent down beside the kitsune. Hiei snapped his calloused fingers sharply in front of Kurama's fine face, but got no response. His eyes didn't even flicker to acknowledge the noise and the presence of another person right next to him.

He had no idea what Kurama was seeing...

The kitsune was surrounded by swirling black and grey masses - or, he thought he was. All his eyes could see and fathom was the dark abyss of black and gray that mixed with each other in pinwheel patterns, boggling the eyes if you looked at it for too long. There was no sound, and the silence rung in his ears like a huge bell as it often does.

What scared him wasn't the endless, swirling dull colors, it was the feeling in the pit of his stomach. An overwhelming desire to hurt something - something, or someone, but he had to lash out! His slender fingers curled against the stone floor (invisible to him) into fists, his short nails digging painfully into his palms. But the alcohol had numbed his senses, and he felt none of the small, half-moon cuts forming in his hand.

As small crimson droplets of blood slowly oozed out of the cuts, running along the callouses in his hand until gravity finally took over and they dripped to the ground, he attempted to stand up, but his legs buckled and brought him to his knees, heavy as lead and about as strong as jell-o.

His head snapped to the window as a whooshing sound rushed through his ears. It was just a night wind, but suddenly a low, deadly snarl rose in his throat as his body went rigid, eyeing the office window with a dangerous flicker in his emerald gaze. Hiei had a sudden urge to step backward and get away from the sadistic kitsune, but he forced himself to ingore his instincts. His crimson eyes narrowed as the smell of blood invaded his senses, and it wasn't his own hand wound reopening. Kurama had pierced his own skin...

"Kurama needs medical attention, this posion is going to leave irreversible damage if we let him ride it out," he said briskly, "You, get me the compact on his desk."

The last statement was directed towards Harry, who acted without question and tossed the compact to the Jaganshi, who easily caught it between two fingers. Flipping it open, he spoke rapidly in the Makai tongue to the screen, where someone must be listening on the other line. He spoke the quickest in his native language, and the spirits were able to understand anything in any language.

"You three are coming to the spirit world," Hiei stated bluntly as he snapped the communicator closed, stuffing it in a pocket of his cloak.

"What?" Harry double-blinked, looking confused, "Don't only dead people go there...?"

Hiei snorted, "Fool. Just shut up and cooperate."

The Jaganshi turned his attention back to Kurama, whose snarling hadn't ceased. "Hn...you were better off unconscious," without hesitation, he curled his pale, calloused fingers into a fist and delivered a heavy blow to the fox's head.

At first, Kurama just wavered on the spot, his pupils crossing in and out of focus as his body fought to keep consciousness. Even in this altered state, the instinct to survive was strong, and the alcoholic content of the poison just helped to numb any pain. However, his weakened body couldn't handle such a blow as the blood rushed to his head and he fell to the stone floor, unmoving except for the ragged, labored rising and falling of his chest.

"Anyone of any use is unconscious," Hiei muttered bitterly, ignoring the three teenagers in the room completely and pacing slowly under the window, glancing up every few seconds and scowling as if waiting for someone who was late.

"Uh..." Hermione was the first to venture speaking since Hiei had spoken into the communicator, her curiosity had gotten the best of her and she wanted to know what was going on, "who are you waiting for?"

"The grim reaper," Hiei stated tonelessly, barely sparing the young woman a glance.

"Is Professor Minamino dead?!"

Hiei rolled his eyes, "It'll take more than that to bring him down. No, he will be fine if the damn ferry girl gets here..." he almost growled that last statement, as if hoping said girl would get the gist and appear.

Completely confused, Hermione decided to shut up and wait until things were explained. After all, the three of them - Harry, Ron and herself - were in the middle of this. Surely they would be informed of the situation...

"Oh dear, I hope I got here on time!" a high-pitched femme's voice suddenly rang from the window, causing everyone's attention to avert to her. She was floating on a boat oar, dressed in a light pink kimono. Her hair was blue, pulled back into a high ponytail, and her eyes seemed to be perfectly coordinated with her tresses - a purplish-pink, they showed every emotion she was feeling, right now fear shone through.

"I hope you brought reinforcements," Hiei pivoted smoothly on his heel to face the window and thus, the blue-haired girl.

"Don't worry, I can get you all to spirit world. Now, let's see, I hope I remember how to do this..."

A strained look of total concentration suddenly took over her features. She was gripping her oar, and her smooth hands were emitting a bright yellow glow that suddenly engulfed the entire thing. Slowly, it expanded, the golden energy taking on the form of a rowboat attached to the flat paddle end of the oar.

"Come on, you three!" Botan motioned for Harry, Ron and Hermione to get into the boat as she expertly twisted around and backed about a foot of the rowboat through the window, into the room, so they could hop in. They did so, watching anxiously as Hiei, apparently with little effort, heaved the unconscious forms of both Yusuke and Kurama onto his shoulders. Since they were a good deal taller than he was, half of their body dragged on the stone floor, but their long black robes shielded their skin from scraping so Hiei ignored it. Harry reached out to help pull them in, and the two were laid on the bottom of the boat while Hiei and the three young wizards sat on the wooden boards that served as benches.

"To the spirit world!" Botan delcared, punching one hand in the open air and giggling, "Hold on, boys, and make sure Kurama and Yusuke don't fall out!"

Her orders were faithfully carried out as the boat suddenly lurched forward at a slow speed, but after a few seconds it was probably going as fast as a car on the highway.

"Can't people see us?" Ron asked, leaning over the side of the boat to see all of London stretched out under them. Street lamps looked more like ants on fire as they zoomed along, Hiei looking bored, but the wizards absolutely delighted to fly so comfortably. Thestrals and Hippogriffs were on the bottom of all their lists, but Harry still found himself preferring a broom, and wondering what it would be like to fly an oar like Botan, solo.

"Nope, normal humans can't see us. Oh! By the way, my name's Botan, grim reaper and pilot of the River Styx! We're going to be flying at a 90-degree angle soon, so hang onto the boys and the boat!" Botan shouted back at them from her slender wooden perch, her blue hair wildly whipping at her face.

Suddenly, a small, swirling purple and black hole appeared in the sky, and Botan was headed right for it! Everyone fought to keep a hold on both Yusuke, Kurama and the boat so they themselves wouldn't go tumbling down to the Earth thousands of feet below as the boat suddenly tipped upwards, almost at a perfect 90-degree angle...and then, the ningenkai diappeared...

They were surrounded by pure pitch blackness for no more than a few short seconds before leveling out and revealing a beautiful new world. The ground below was a beautiful golden color, completely flat with a sparkling blue river twisting through the land. The whole environment had a settling sense of peace for everyone, especially when Botan slowed to a more leisurely pace and started acting the tour guide, pointing out the River Styx and other interesting places they flew over.

Finally, a huge Chinese-style pagoda, which must be hundreds of floors tall, loomed in the distance. Puffy white clouds drifted lazily in front of it, adding to the pure shock of how huge it was.

"Koenma's palace," Botan explained, "we're here."

**::End::**

**Sorry it took so long to update! Enjoy this chapter, and please excuse any mistakes, really, I'm still using Wordpad and don't have too much time to proofread, but I do the best I can! Plus FF takes forever to load...and it's just annoying...it's taking all my patience right now to not whack the computer into tiny little bits for being so slow...**


	14. Truth Be Told

**::14::Truth Be Told::**

_My head..._

He dare not open his eyes for fear of the light that would come flooding in, only helping to make his current migraine a hundred times worse. Instead he tried to block out the pain...and maybe go back to sleep in the process...

But soft murmurs hummed in his ears, quiet enough not to be deciphered but loud enough to keep him awake. His fingers felt weighted down as he lifted his left hand to his forehead, though he knew it was a rather silly human gesture that never helped. Suddenly he noticed a very faint pricking sensation in his right hand, and forced his emerald eyes open a crack to see what it was.

An IV line was running from under a piece of opaque tape to a silver pole that no doubt held fluids of some sort. Wait...this meant...

_How did I get to a hospital?_

Last thing he remembered, he was in his office at Hogwarts with Yusuke and Harry and his two friends. Maybe the castle's hospital wing? He sighed heavily, his head was throbbing and he couldn't think straight. What had been in that potion? Guess it didn't matter if he was still alive.

Finally, one of the lowly humming voices rose in pitch just enough for him to make out her - for it could only be Botan's - words.

"Look, he's moved! Kurama, can you hear me?"

"...Yes, Botan..."

His words were slightly slurred from exhaustion, and he still didn't open his eyes fully. Just move his lips enough to get out audible words.

"Oh, good! You're okay then!" she exclaimed, making Kurama flinch from the high pitch of her voice. It was definitely not helping his headache.

"I'm quite alright...just a headache," deciding he had no other choice, he opened his eyes fully and let a comforting smile come across his face. She sounded genuinely worried, and Kurama didn't like his friends to worry, especially if it's his fault.

Feeling along the edge of his hospital bed, Kurama found the panel where all the little buttons and such that adjusted the bed were located. He pressed one and adjusted himself as the bed raised it's front half so he could sit up comfortably.

Just then, Hiei walked into the room, not bothering to close the door behind him. "Hn. Are you in your right mind?" he asked flatly, turning those fiery crimson eyes to clash with calm, itense emeralds.

"Yes, Hiei," Kurama replied. Then he noticed the slightly familiar surroundings around him...the way the room was built, it was definitely not Hogwarts' hospital wing. He'd worked for Koenma for a very short time (Yukina saga), and he knew the palace very well (especially after having to rob it). "Am I in Reikai's hospital?" he asked curiously.

Botan nodded, "Yep. Harry and his friends are in Koenma's office, and Yusuke woke up fourty-five minutes ago."

Kurama blinked, "Yusuke was unconscious?"

"You don't remember? Oh, well of course you wouldn't, you weren't awake! Well, Yusuke transferred some of his energy to you but fainted in the process."

Kurama chuckled lightly, "Yes, I have a vague recollection of waking up and being hit in the head," he glanced pointedly at Hiei.

Hiei muttered a soft "hn" and averted his eyes from the kitsune's teasing gaze.

"Anyway, Kurama, we have a bit of a problem. See, there's a wave of youkai that are scheduled to arrive at the castle in about 5 hours...only Hiei and Kuwabara are in real shape to fight, though I daresay Yusuke will insist," Botan sighed in a long-suffering manner, shaking her head.

"Yusuke has not regained his energy?" Kurama asked, slightly surprised. Yusuke was a quick healer and had incredible amounts of ki...surely he couldn't have used that much reviving him.

"Well..." Botan bit her bottom lip, playing with her fingers as though choosing her words carefully, "you were pretty far under, and to make Yusuke faint like that..."

Kurama groaned, "Don't tell me..."

Botan giggled nervously, "Uh, well...his power is drained considerably..."

"He can't fight," Hiei stated, "but a bunch of low-class fools shouldn't be a problem."

A sudden knock on the door got everyone's attention.

"Come in!" Botan called cheerfully.

The door swung open to reveal Harry. His expression was unusually stoic...the green eyes that were an open window to his emotions seemed to be slammed shut...only someone skilled could read the suttle signs, maybe a simple gesture, that could reveal exactly what was going on in his head.

Harry glanced at Botan and Hiei, whose crimson eyes narrowed harshly. He didn't like the sudden change of demeanor in the boy - if there was one thing he learned watching Yusuke fight Sensui, it was personality could make a big difference in any situation.

"I'd like to talk to Pro-...Kurama, alone..."

"Hn. And why is that?" Hiei snapped.

"Hiei, calm yourself. I will talk to him..._alone_," Kurama said calmly. He had a feeling of what was coming, and Hiei and Botan didn't need to be present for it.

Hiei nodded silently, and, despite many protests from Botan, dragged her out of the room and managed to kick the door shut behind him, muttering various death threats and scowling.

"Now. What is it you needed to know?" Kurama asked evenly, gesturing for Harry to sit on the edge of his bed.

Harry paused as he sat down, fiddling with the ends of the light blue blankets. He glanced at the IV line and the heart monitor machine before choosing the correct way to word his question. Usually he wasn't so cautious when he spoke, but this was a different matter.

"How...how did my parents die? What happened that night?"

"I believe Dumbledore has told you about the attack on your parents already."

"He did, but..."

"You wish to know what Dumbledore does not?" Kurama continued when Harry nodded, "I cannot give it to you. I was not alive when Voldemort attacked."

"What?" Harry said, completely confused.

"Voldemort planned to attack a week after you were born, that was when he found out about the prophecy, and I found out about his plans and his reputation. He made frequent trips between worlds, and on one of these trips I found him and offered my services in exchange for lessons with a wand. He found a spell that would mask my demon energy to let me pass between the human and demon worlds. There, I was able to find Pettigrew and extract the necessary information about your parents' whereabouts. I accompanied Death Eaters on several attempts to kill you, but your parents were skilled and fought them off. Several of their friends were killed in these battles. There is a strict law that says a demon cannot murder a human, and killing you was not worth having the spirit world hunt me down, so I did not participate. However...soon after one of these attacks, I was on a solo burglary, where I was cornered. It was an officer of the Spirit World Defense Force, most likely going after me for fear that I would kill you or your parents. I do not know the details of what happened after that."

(episode 92, we find out the guy who killed Kurama was an officer of the SDF. he's got blue hair in sort of an afro style and wears big white hoop earrings, and his name is Sunjun.)

Harry's green eyes widened. There had been multiple attacks? But then...that made sense, Voldemort wouldn't risk himself without seeing what the dangers were.

"Why didn't they change their location?" Harry asked suddenly, his tone slightly accusing. If they knew Voldemort had a lock on their location, why didn't they change it?

"I do not know. My only conclusion is the multiple defeats of the Death Eaters lulled them into a false sense of security. They were not expecting Voldemort himself to kill you."

"And Koenma still trusts you?!" Harry blurted out, jumping off the bed and to his feet, his eyes set in a harsh glare.

"So you've met him? No, Koenma did not trust me or Hiei at first. We were given the chance to assist Yusuke on his missions in lieu of a spirit world prison sentence, or worse," Kurama replied calmly, unfazed by the young wizard's outburst, "But, yes, I believe he does trust me now."

Harry just shook his head in a disbelieving manner, his green eyes blazing with hate. The calm, collected man before him was a cold-blooded murderer, and he didn't have the decency to show a bit of remorse! Harry stalked out of the room, slamming the door hard behind him.

"I take it that didn't go so well," Yusuke commented as Harry came fuming out of Kurama's room.

"Hn," was the only reply the short fire youkai beside him gave.

"Hey! Harry, c'mere!" Yusuke called to stop the boy from going any further.

Harry snorted and snapped a bitter, "What?"

"You don't trust him, do you?" Yusuke asked casually, leaning against the wall.

"No."

"Then follow me," was all the detective said as he and Hiei turned in the direction of Koenma's office. There was something there that may convince Harry to change his views of the kitsune.

**::End::Chapter::**

**Someone asked if they could add this story to their C2 community - well, I have no clue what that is, but I doubt F F . n e t would do anything to screw with authors' writing or anything...so yes, go ahead. **


	15. Black & White

**Sorry for the wait...I just couldn't think of anything to write. Anyway, enjoy.**

**::15::Black & White::**

"There's nothing you can do to make me trust him!" Harry snapped at Yusuke and Hiei's retreating backs, remaining stubbornly in place himself.

"Right..." Yusuke paused to glance back at the wizard, "just follow us."

Harry didn't move for a few more seconds, but as Yusuke and Hiei didn't even turn back once, their forms getting smaller and smaller as they strode down the hallway, curiosity forced him to move. He had to run to catch up with the two youkai.

Yusuke shook his head as Harry came panting up beside them, glancing at Hiei out of the corner of his eye in time to see the hybrid rolling his blood red orbs.

None of the trio said a word as they walked down the hallway, two pairs of feet making loud clanking noises, whereas the ex-thief's boot-clad footsteps were silent.

Finally they came to the room where ogres of every color imaginable were running around, yelling into cell phones and balancing huge stacks of papers in their arms. They crossed the room to a door, where they entered Koenma's office.

* * *

"Sit down and watch," Hiei snapped briskly, gesturing to a wooden chair they'd dragged into the middle of Koenma's office, right in front of the yellow oval TV screen.

A large blue ogre with blonde hair suddenly entered the room, laden down with what could only be videocassettes. The one Harry knew as Koenma, in toddler form, trailed behind his lackey. He was, of course, free of the blue pacifier he always sucked on – after resurrecting Amanuma he didn't really need a useless piece of plastic to chew anymore.

The ogre somehow managed to set the cassettes down on the floor beside the TV without tipping the whole stack over. Prodding each one with his finger, the ogre's black eyes traveled over each label before carefully pulling one out of the pile, steadying the rest of the tapes with his other hand.

The VCR was located right under the TV screen. Pushing in the tape, the ogre pressed the large red Play button, set the subtitles to English (since the fights were spoken mostly in the Makai tongue and Japanese), and stepped back.

For a moment the screen flashed black as gray lines of static shot through it. It blinked several times before finally revealing a huge stadium. Thousands of multi-colored, horned, fanged and clawed creatures screamed at the top of their lungs as a very tall man with long, flowing black hair stepped onto a gray, circular stone ring in the middle of the stadium.

He looked at someone off-screen, put a finger to his head like a gun, and softly said, "Bang."

The screen panned over to focus on Kurama, his green eyes narrowed dangerously...it was obvious to Harry now that the black-haired man had been targeting _him_.

Suddenly the tape stopped mid-play, making Harry whip around to see who'd done it.

His emerald gaze fell on Yusuke with a black remote control in his hand.

"Thought I should explain. See, this is the last round of something called the Ankoku Bujutsukai – or, Black Martial Arts Tournament. That black-haired guy is Karasu," Yusuke explained. He pressed Play and the tape resumed.

They watched as Kurama stepped into the ring.

"And on my right, fighting for Team Toguro...KARASU!" the pink-haired announcer shouted energetically, making a wide, sweeping gesture to said youkai, "And on my left, for Team Urameshi...KURAMA! Fighters, please take your positions..."

She called for them to start, and Kurama took the first move. His hand glowed for a moment, before a pile of delicate-looking red rose petals materialized. They floated off of his palm in a helix pattern around him as his arms took specific positions within the petals as they formed a whirlwind around him.

"Petals and Thorns!"

Harry raised an eyebrow, "What does he think rose petals are going to do?"

"Shut up and watch, incompetent," Hiei snapped.

On the tape, Karasu was slowly advancing into the petals that were swirling wildly around Kurama, creating such wind his hair whipped at his pale, stoic face.

Suddenly, one of the petals sliced across Karasu's cheek, and a thin, red line appeared. Small droplets of blood slowly started to seep out, but the raven paid no mind.

"They _are_ absolutely beautiful. But they are also weak and lacking in substance...a trait they must have inherited from you."

The screen switched to Kurama as his eyes narrowed.

* * *

Back with the real Kurama, Botan was in his hospital room, trying to convince him to stay and rest until Hiei and Kuwabara had dealt with the wave of youkai. The kitsune, however, would have none of it.

"I cannot lie idle," were his only words as he stubbornly ignored the ferry girl's protests and swung his legs over the side of the bed. His fingers felt along the edges of the opaque tape holding the IV line, which he peeled back without so much as flinching before also pulling out the needle.

Botan made a disgusted face and shuddered. She'd never really been fond of needles...

Kurama put his full weight on his long legs, which still weren't all that stable, as he adjusted his black wizard's robe (which had gotten all twisted around his body while in bed) and strode out of the room, doing his best to hide his physical instability.

Botan sighed in an irritated manner, propping her hands on her hips.

"He's supposed to be our smartest fighter and he won't even accept medical treatment!" she ranted, with an annoyed huff, and ran out of the room to catch up with the kitsune.

* * *

"Mirror of Darkness, awaken in the moonlight. Let your face show my desire, that I may invoke your power."

Kurama could hear the tape even in the hallway.

He stopped dead.

"This woman's health and happiness...is that what you ask me to grant?"

"Yes."

Ignoring the rest of the audio he could hear, Kurama shook off the memories of that night, and walked as calmly as he could down the hall, to Koenma's office.

"Oh, hey foxboy. We were just watchin' the ABC primetime lineup..." Yusuke's sarcastic comment was the first thing to greet the kitsune as he entered the Reikai prince's office.

"Hn..." without giving Kurama, or anyone else for that matter, a chance to open their mouth, Hiei spoke briskly, "I'm going back...those demons should be at the castle soon and that fool's going to need help."

He sprinted out of the room in a black blur, a blur even the well-trained eyes of Kurama and Yusuke could barely see.

Kurama glanced out the door a moment before speaking, "Yusuke...what have you shown him?"

"Uh..so far the fight with Karasu and the whole Mirror of Darkness deal..."

Kurama sighed, "Are you sure he is able to handle this?"

"If he can't, then it wouldn't matter if he trusts you or not, he'd be useless in a fight," Yusuke pointed out, in one of his rare, wiser moments.

"Hey Koenma!" Yusuke said suddenly, "Put in Kurama's first fight in the tournament. Come to think, I missed that round completely," the hanyou grinned innocently, "let's watch'em all."

George was actually the one to find and put in the tapes (under Koenma's strict supervision, of course), the poor lackey...

* * *

45 minutes later...

"I can't BELIVEVE Kuwabara lost to a KID that badly!" Yusuke was laughing so hard it hurt, doubled over in his chair, and absolutely howling.

"I...fail to see the humor..." Kurama muttered.

Harry, instead of laughing as the absurdity of it all or acting calm, was sitting there with his eyes bigger than dinner plates and his mouth hanging open. How, in all that was reality (which had been screwed with lately...), did he do that?!

"It's called spirit energy," Kurama explained, seeing the look on Harry's face "it is what fuels his power, as well as wizards'."

"So Kuwabara's a wizard...?" Harry asked, still confused.

"Not...technically. He simply uses the same type of energy that allows your wands to work, though he uses his bare hands to channel his power. That is how all of our abilities work."

"I've never seen a wizard make a sword out of thin air," Harry said.

"It takes a greater amount of spirit energy than what most wizards possess to do that," Kurama said.

"Oh..." turning back to the screen, Harry watched as Kurama and a very ugly-looking youkai stepped into the ring.

"...I have your human mother, Kurama..."

Chills ran up Harry's spine as he watched the fight. Kurama was just letting this Roto guy pound on him without fighting back! Sacrificing his pride and dignity for a woman...a _human _woman at that...

It was the second time Harry had seen the kitsune's undying devotion to his mother, and he was completely confused. Kurama was a demon, a powerful, ruthless thief...yet he put his life on the line, twice, so his human mother could live? It simply didn't make sense. Again, the question popped up: was Kurama good, or evil?

Or was there not such a black-and-white definition?

**::End::Chapter::**


	16. Caught in the Middle

**Wow…almost three months since this was updated…gomen! I've been contemplating deleting this story cause I hate some parts of it, but I guess I won't because people seem to like it. I had another one started, and after one of my fics is finished, I may post it…also have several more ideas swimming around in my head, so…**

**::16::Caught in the Middle::**

Harry shook his head, as if the motion would clear the thoughts swirling in his mind. He was more confused than ever, presented with so many contradictions it was staggering. It had always been black and white for him; Voldemort was evil, Dumbledore and the Order were good…there were no shades of gray.

But right now he was staring at several of these shades of gray. He was in a room with killers, none of them but the pure human, Kuwabara, seemed to have any qualms with killing their opponents. And their tactics were quite gruesome…the raven Karasu had his blood sucked dry…Ziru had literally been disintegrated by hellish black flames…yet they were here to protect Harry? Harry, who was either destined to die by the hands of Voldemort or kill him…

There was the gray again. Harry had to kill. And wasn't that wrong? Voldemort was evil and needed to be stopped…would killing him bring Harry down to the Dark Lord's level?

Shaking his head again, the young wizard watched as George, the blue ogre, walked out of Koenma's office, laden down with the videotapes again. Kurama and Yusuke remained silent, but Harry could feel their eyes on him.

"So now do you get it?" Yusuke spoke up suddenly, "These guys have risked their lives for people they don't even know!"

Harry didn't say anything, and Kurama also stayed quiet. The confusion was so obvious in the wizard's green eyes; the kitsune knew something was going on…

After a few moments of silence, Kurama decided to take a chance at guessing what was going on in Harry's head.

"You have lived in a world where good and evil are cut clean. It is easy to discern who is good and who is bad by their actions and principles. But now you have seen us, and you are wondering which we are, are you not? The truth is, we are neither," he said calmly.

"But…aren't you working to save the…human world? Isn't that good?" Harry asked. His confusion was only deepening.

"What about the bad humans? The snipers, robbers, rapists and murderers?"

Harry didn't say anything.

"Look," Yusuke said, getting impatient, "if demons try to mess around with the human realm, we tak'em down. We're only working for the weak guys, here, because the human world wouldn't stand a chance if all the armies in the world tried to invade the demon world."

"Our point, is that you simply need to trust us," Kurama said, "and right now those demons should have arrived at the castle…"

"Where the hell's Botan? She needs to ferry us back…" Yusuke said, glancing around the room as if the ferry girl would pop out of the walls (which she was quite capable of doing, actually).

"Did I hear my name?" a cheery voice chirped, as the doors flung open to reveal the blue-topped ferry girl.

"Oh, good. Botan, take us back to the human world, there's some demons who need their asses kicked!"

Botan's magenta eyes narrowed. "Oh no, Yusuke. You and Kurama are staying right here! You're way too weak to fight, I'm sure Hiei and Kuwabara can handle it on their own. There aren't any demons above B class, it should be quick work."

"Didn't you mention dementors, Botan?" Kurama asked.

"Oh…oh yes! But they shouldn't be too much of a pro-"

"Dementors can only be taken down with the Patronus charm!" Harry said, "Kurama…do your friends have wands?"

"No. That is the problem, only Yusuke, Harry and I know how to use the charm," Kurama said, eyeing Botan pointedly.

"Oh! You two are just itching for a good fight, aren't you?" the ferry girl ranted, "Well, I guess I have no choice…c'mon, boys…bye, Lord Koenma!"

Koenma, who had been stamping and muttering all this time, didn't even look up as his name was said and the detectives and Harry left with Botan.

………

"I'm never gonna get used to that…" Yusuke muttered bitterly, as he hastily climbed out of the boat Botan had, yet again, conjured as an extension from her oar.

Ron and Hermione, who had greatly surprised Harry by being so quiet all this time, climbed out after Yusuke, Hermione looking slightly green, but Ron and Harry, who were used to flying, were none the worse for wear.

"You know…this reminds me…Quidditch season is coming up…" Ron said, glancing at Botan as the boat shrank back to her oar, as Kurama climbed out last. It was obvious the kitsune was weak, he stumbled slightly and Yusuke noted his aura's wavelength was very uneven.

"Yeah," Harry muttered his statement with an angry edge to it. He hadn't been asked to replace Ginny as Seeker yet, and was beginning to wonder if Umbridge's ban was still in effect.

But no one had time to dwell on menial matters like Quidditch, as, from the Forbidden Forest, sounds of clashing metal, growling and hissing echoed.

"Well, we can't let Kuwabara and Hiei have all the fun!" Yusuke grinned, and immediately started off towards the forest. Kurama chuckled and gestured for Harry, Hermione and Ron to follow; they could be of some use in the fight.

Poor Botan was left, glaring at the detectives' and wizards' retreating backs, muttering darkly under her breath as she took off with much more speed than intended and nearly fell off her oar.

……….

"C'mon!" Yusuke snapped impatiently, looking over his shoulder long enough to send Harry, Ron and Hermione a glare.

They'd been running full out for the past 15 minutes, at least, and though Kurama was keeping up fine, the three human wizards had painful stitches in their sides and were falling behind. They had to put out extra effort to jump over fallen logs, yank their robes free of various branches and thorns, and avoid little holes small animals had dug as homes.

"We're nearly there," Kurama assured them, in a much more gentle tone of voice than Yusuke.

They kept on running, Harry, Ron and Hermione panting hard, their chests burning and their heads swimming. Yusuke and Kurama hadn't even started breathing hard or broken a sweat by the time they all reached the battlegrounds.

They were looking at a huge, cathedral-sized clearing in the forest. The rich black soil was now stained a dark, sickly maroon color as blood flowed like a river from the bodies of the fallen demons and the ones that would inevitably be beaten. Hiei was right in the thick of things, slicing off heads and vital limbs expertly with his katana, the silver blade now gleaming a shiny liquid red. Kuwabara was swinging his sword wildly as he always did, slicing demons left and right but not being skillful enough to give the majority of his attackers fatal wounds. He simply wasn't used to such a huge battle royal.

Kurama, Yusuke, Harry, Ron and Hermione all drew their wands. No one had noticed their arrival due to the thick trees and bushes that concealed them, on the outskirts of the clearing.

"Harry, Ron, Hermione, stay on the edges of the battle until the dementors arrive," Kurama warned in a low whisper, "if you are attacked, a powerful Stunner should render them unconscious."

Harry opened his mouth to protest, but was silenced when Yusuke glared at him, and so he was forced to watch Kurama and Yusuke enter the battle.

It was nothing like any of them had seen before. Kurama reached into his long crimson tresses, almost the same shade as the blood that was being shed so thickly, and pulled out a blood red rose. Snapping his wrist expertly, a green whip with long, needle-sharp thorns appeared as a shot of golden energy engulfed it. This use of his you-ki seemed to weaken him more, as his reflexes seemed slower than what Harry had seen in the videotapes. Nevertheless, his whip lashed around so fast Harry, Ron and Hermione could barely see it, slicing several demons at once and sending blood flying, staining the trees and bushes that surrounded the clearing.

Yusuke was simply blasting holes through many demons at once with shouts of, "REIGUN!", and the youkai were practically disintegrated as the orb of glowing blue and white light hit them head on.

The fight was over within minutes, though the bloody spectacle seemed to take hours to Harry, Ron and Hermione. Hiei seemed perfectly unhurt, his pale face and pitch-black clothes were splattered with crimson blood, but it was not his own, but his enemy's. Kuwabara seemed a bit winded, and a little scratched, but fine. Kurama and Yusuke, however, were obviously trying to hide the fact their previous loss of you-ki was taking it's toll. Both detectives were breathing fairly hard, and Kurama was slumped slightly, as his whip came down to earth with a metallic clang like a chain, but he held it up threateningly.

Suddenly, a cold chill filled the entire area. It was like a bucket of ice had been poured over each of the detectives and the young wizards, like their insides had frozen right down to their hearts and souls…

Hiei growled, not familiar with the feeling or liking it. "What the hell is this?" he demanded, sending a blazing crimson glare Harry's way.

"It's the dementors," Harry said, trying to sound as even and calm as he could.

**::End::Chapter::**

**Again, sorry for the wait, now that I have this chapter writing more should come a lot sooner than three months apart. Like I said, I was thinking about deleting this fic so I didn't wanna waste time on writing chapters. But I've decided to keep it, so no worries. **

**Resurrected MIGHT be updated soon. There's either one or two chapters left, I haven't decided. **


	17. Flashes Gone By

**::17::Flashes Gone By::**

"Hn. And what the hell are dementors?" Hiei demanded.

"Do you remember the Fugaki, Hiei?" Kurama asked, feeling a shiver run up his spine as the temperature dropped even lower, "Dementors are similar creatures. They reside in the human realm and feed off of souls."

"If they're anything as weak as the Fugaki even the fool could taken them down," Hiei scoffed. He flipped his bloodstained katana and sheathed it as Kuwabara opened his mouth to protest. Harry, however, cut in.

"You can only _take them down_ with a Patronus charm!" he said forcefully, "And you need a wand to work the spell."

Before anyone could back up this statement or retort, the temperature plummeted to an all-time low without warning. A loud rattling sound was echoing ominously all around the detectives and the wizards, who now hurried to join said detectives in the middle of the clearing. The wind that usually rattled the trees had suddenly stopped; the forest was silent now, as though any matter of creatures unfazed by the previous battle had disappeared…

Harry, Ron, Hermione, Kurama and Yusuke raised their wands. Suddenly, black-cloaked figures slowly emerged from the trees, silent as the grave. They were encircling their prey to avoid any escapes, their rattling, gasping breaths getting even louder, as though they were excited at the emotional feast before them.

Hiei's Jagan eye suddenly began to glow a bright, violent purple. A painful throbbing was developing over the unnatural third eye, making Hiei stumble back a few steps, snarling.

"What…the hell…" he growled. He was vaguely aware of various shouts of "_Expecto Patronum_!" and Kuwabara's useless swinging of his spirit sword.

Suddenly, images of falling snow, delicate, pale and miserable-looking women, a shining icy blue Hirui stone, and many large, ugly demons flashed in his mind, like a video tape that refused to stop playing. His Jagan gave another painful throb, as the purple glow grew brighter. He had a sudden feeling of an impending frost, as though he was standing on the very edge of a frozen pond but something invisible was refusing to let him take another step.

He wasn't aware of the dementors trying to close in around him. Intense despair, hatred, anger and a myriad of other emotions swirled around in this soul, and the dementors were quite keen on taking it for themselves. However, the Jagan was a powerful weapon and refused to let the creatures play with Hiei's mind, creating a psychic barrier that the dementors could not cross.

Hiei's vision was fuzzy with the pain in his head, this was almost as painful as getting the Jagan implanted.

"EXPECTO PATRONUM!"

Suddenly the Jagan stopped throbbing, and the icy feeling vanished. Hiei's vision began to clear, and what he saw wasn't exactly pleasant.

Kurama and Yusuke were on their knees, panting hard, fighting to stay conscious as their bodies shook violently. Harry was leaning against a tree, his wand held up threateningly, Ron lie unconscious on the ground, Hermione was standing upright but her knees looked ready to give out any second.

"Hiei…are you…all right?" Kurama half-choked, half-gasped, as he stubbornly fought against his swimming head and forced himself to his feet, though he swayed dangerously on the spot.

Hiei snorted coldly and nodded, folding his arms across his chest in an almost defensive manner.

Suddenly there was another rustling in the trees lining the clearing; everyone whipped around to face it, their weapons and wands drawn, ready to start up another fight if need be.

But it wasn't demons or dementors who emerged from the trees, but Professors Dumbledore and McGonagall. McGonagall looked, horrified, at everyone, either on their knees already or ready to collapse. Even Hiei was shaking from the immense energy loss he just suffered, repelling the dementors. The bloodstained trees and soaked, maroon colored ground also didn't help her mood.

"What has gone on here?" Dumbledore asked calmly.

"Nothing much, just about a million friggin' dementors!" Yusuke snapped, struggling as he managed to get to his feet.

Kurama sighed lightly. His breathing had slowed to a more normal pace but he was still shaking and swaying where he stood. "It was a wave of dementors and demons, meant to weaken us for the real army Voldemort has yet to send," he said flatly.

Dumbledore's eyebrows shot up, but he didn't say anything.

"Let's…get them to the hospital wing, Albus…" McGonagall said finally, sounding vaguely stunned.

"No need," Kurama said, attempting the smile he always wore when he was hurt and didn't want to admit how bad it was.

McGonagall, however, was not impressed by his act, and narrowed her eyes at all of them.

"Nonsense, Professor, you and your friends need medical attention," she said sharply.

Even Yusuke didn't dare argue with her. Everyone knew how formidable she could be, and even though the Tantei could easily overpower her, Kurama and Yusuke knew better than to cross the severe woman.

Eventually, what ended up happening was Kuwabara - whose past really wasn't all that fraught with enough horror for the dementors to have effected him as much as the others – helped Kurama and Yusuke walk with one arm thrown under each of their arms. Hiei refused help and walked on his own, and McGonagall conjured up crutches for Harry and Hermione to use. The unconscious Ron was being carried on a stretcher Dumbledore created. It floated in the middle of the group in mid-air.

………

"Damn…"

Her whole body ached and burned, like millions of sharp little knives were stabbing her flesh with every breath she took.

"That runt's ass is MINE…" she snarled to no one in particular.

Shizuru attempted to sit upright, but suddenly the pain worsened and she fell back onto her futon with a yell she barely was able to catch in her throat.

"Yeh alright there?" a gruff voice asked from somewhere beyond Shizuru's field of vision (which wasn't all that great considering she was lying flat on her back).

Shizuru snorted lightly, recognizing Hagrid's voice, and managed to grunt out a stubborn "Yeah", even though she was nowhere near "alright". At least one rib – if not several – were broken or fractured, she was covered in cuts, her back stung like the seven hells and her chest felt ready to burst. Every breath was like fire cutting at her throat, it was obvious something was also wrong with her lungs.

Oh yeah. Just fine…

"Are you kiddin'? You're in a right state, I'll get Madam Pomfrey down here," Hagrid said. Shizuru was in no state to protest, she could only glare defiantly (followed by a grimace) as he grabbed his huge black coat and headed out. Obviously, Shizuru couldn't be carried to the hospital wing or she just might snap in half.

Twenty minutes later, Shizuru, who hadn't moved an inch, heard the loud creaking and banging of Hagrid's huge wooden door being open and shut. Immediately, Madam Pomfrey was at her side, muttering darkly.

"I thought the dragons two years ago were bad…now they've got these sadistic teenage guards in the castle!" she was saying, "Now take this."

Madam Pomfrey shoved a small glass vile of some deep violet liquid into Shizuru's hands. Shizuru raised an eyebrow at it, but managed to down it despite her awkward position. It actually didn't taste too bad, more mild than anything, almost like fruity water.

Immediately the burning, stinging, aching pain in Shizuru's body seemed to vanish. Slightly startled by the sudden healing, Shizuru twitched her fingers as if making sure everything was still in its place.

"Well, goodbye, I need to get back up to the hospital wing, several new patients…"

Madam Pomfrey swiftly exited the hut, and her hurried footsteps, crunching the thick white snow outside, could be heard for several seconds before dying away.

………

"Where did the little one go?" Madam Pomfrey demanded, merely seconds after she entered the hospital wing.

Everyone just shrugged. In truth, Hiei had jumped out the window and was probably in the Forbidden Forest someplace, but no one was about to tell Madam Pomfrey that. They knew Hiei was more than capable of healing after the dementor attack – it had been more emotional than anything, and in times like these Hiei demanded seclusion.

Dumbledore, who was sitting in a chair against the wall, calmly reminded Madam Pomfrey that Hiei was no mere human and didn't really require medical treatment. He had been forced to tell the nurse about her patient's true race, though nothing of their pasts. Not even Kurama protested this. She wasn't allowed to tell anyone, and it just meant she'd back off a bit.

"Well, let's get you all fixed up…"

**::End::Chapter::**

**Oh dear. The SHORTNESS, it BURNS! _–twitches madly-_ **


End file.
